Is Perfection a pipe dream?

Is Perfection a pipe dream?

"When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target."-Geoffrey F. Fisher

Admit it. We all have heard it somewhere in our journey- Practice makes man perfect. And believe me, if you are among those pitch-perfect doers, you are always invigilating even the slightest imperfection and insist on multiple rounds of redo, if met with a flaw. You carry your 'perfectionist' crown with pride. But, does it really describe you as a person?

Perfectionism brings its own vexations. We all have someone in our circle at least one perfectionist teammate or boss and we call this specie by populous names- 'workaholic', demanding and much more. Undoubtedly, perfectionism encourages you to push your boundaries and keep working hard till the final outcome. And that's where it cuts your performance! It wraps our eyes with some false assumptions.

Let's clear the clouds with some examples

"Work should be done perfectly"

Well, there exists no perfect criterion of perfect work. What may be an award winning 'perfect' note for you cab be imperfect for someone else. Let's accept this- all the internal as well as external factors cannot line up together to create a melody called perfection.

Perfectionism is a pursuit of high standard

Standard and perfectionism stand apart. While standards are flexible enough and are defined as a set of quality norms and flow in opposite direction. On the other hand, perfectionism feeds on the assumption of achieving an ultimate standard

In pursuit of perfection, one becomes less tolerant towards himself and others. The quench for perfection in almost everything makes you discontented and disparage, finally leaving you with a shallow sense of inadequacy and underachievement.

Striking off perfection

There are certain red flags attached with perfection, and they are:

Perfection is always focused on others.

It hinders one's personal growth.

The fear of failure, inadequacy can lead to multiple of health issues- depression, anxiety, stress, addiction and missed opportunities.

It's always based on the perception of others – an unattainable goal

The idea of Perfection is self-destructive, no matter how much time and energy we are investing in.

As Sharon Martin, LCSW once quoted, "Perfectionism is just an excuse for self-criticism"

Also

"PERFECTION IS OVERRATED…IT DOESN'T EXIST, WE'RE ALL FLAWED AND WE'RE ALL GOING TO MAKE MISTAKES. THE BEAUTY OF LIFE LIES IN BETWEEN WHATT WE'VE LEARNED AND HOW WE GROW."