Very few things in life are as mentally taxing as the quest for perfection. I frankly need a nap just thinking about it. If you are a person who strives to give your best almost 100% of the time (and I know you are), it can be very difficult to dial it back a notch. ‘Perfect’ becomes a metric that is virtually impossible to avoid. Like most ambitious over-achievers – I say that with love, of course, for you are my people – you might also believe that creating a flawless deliverable is requisite for excellence. Or dare I say it – requisite for success.
Welp. Hold on. Not so fast.
Imperfection can actually be an asset (yes, I used the word a-s-s-e-t) that reveals new and interesting opportunities for growth. Hard to believe? While it might be difficult to imagine, you can be well-served by actively avoiding perfection. Imperfection can serve as your ally by allowing you to:
1) Act in the moment: If you release yourself from the pressure and expectation that accompanies perfection, you can take action now knowing that you won’t get every aspect right. If you anchor your momentum to the development of a complete vision, you may find yourself stuck in the meantime. Imperfect action enables you to openly explore a new goal, take on a fresh challenge or revisit a previously distant milestone.
2) Explore a new path: When you boldly forge ahead with an objective in mind but lack a tested, fully vetted approach (à la perfection), you have an opportunity to do something different. You might find that you can be more creative and innovative if you abandon your inclination to get everything ‘just right.’ How great is that?
3) Drive improvements from the start: By embracing imperfection, you openly acknowledge that you are creating a rough draft of sorts with your early efforts. You automatically have license to receive and apply feedback to make things better. You may be more resistant to ‘fixing’ something that you already view as being as good as it gets.
Please don’t interpret this as a directive (or even a suggestion) to do less than stellar work. I think that you should always rise to the level of your fullest potential in every instance. The difference, however, is the standard that you use to assess (read ‘judge’) yourself going forward.
Your very best work will rarely be perfect and that is completely OK. By putting your best foot forward *and* granting yourself the grace needed in the context of imperfection you’ll likely achieve your objectives faster.
Engineer Your Bliss Challenge: How will you use imperfection as a tool to accelerate your progress in an area that matters to you?
Let me know in the comments on Facebook.