“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” – Vince Lombardi
The above quote is new to me, but its lesser phrasing (written and repeated often by myself) is one of my personal guiding principles. My wording is that you must always chase perfection at the same time as being comfortable with the fact that perfection is not possible. Another friend repurposed this to me the other week by saying, ‘strive for perfection, and you receive progress.’
The fact is, one person’s ‘perfect’ is not always the same as another’s, and ultimately the worst thing you can do is not to fall short of that goal, but to give up. Striving for perfection gives you purpose. It keeps you alive to the world. If you become friends with the notion that you will never quite hit it, then you will grow upwards, outwards and inwards.
1. You Stay Hungry
I write, as you well know. But when I’m not writing, I’m acting. If I am ever working on a show that runs for a length of time, there is almost always a point where boredom sets in. At this point, I could be convinced that unearthed every secret, nuance, emotion and beat that could possibly be found in the show. It is perfectly acceptable to plod along and do the same thing night after night, but after a while, you tend to lose your love for it. When I begin to feel like this, I ask myself, “Are there any parts of this that could be better? Is there a moment I haven’t nailed down just yet?” This striving for moments of perfection keeps me interested. It keeps me engaged. This can be applied to any industry. If you are bored, consider if there is anything (could just be a little thing) that you could look to perfect.
2. You Become Sensitive to Change and Innovation
Striving for perfection and hence engaging consciously with the world you are operating within, helps to keep you resilient to change. It also helps you to stay current. As stated before, what is perfect in today’s world may not be perfect in tomorrow’s world. If you are used to searching for perfection on a daily basis, you will be aware of how the world is altering around you, and you will be personally acclimatised to dealing with said alterations. This means, that when a big, unexpected change comes along, you are likely to be more resilient to its impact, and more able to adapt what you are doing to it.
3. You Remember to Listen
After doing things the same way for a long time, one tends to disconnect. If I can use the acting analogy again… when a show is new, you are still paying attention to everything and everyone, making sure that you respond where you need to respond, be where you need to be, make work what needs to work for the performance to hold together as a whole. Once this initial stage is over, it is natural to eventually move into autopilot, and disengage to an extent. However, if you are looking for new opportunities to improve and perfect all the time, you begin to listen and engage with your surroundings once more, making your performance (whether on stage or in an office) much more creative, energetic and innovative.
4. The Upkeep of Your Working Attitude
If you are always looking for ways to perfect the execution of your job, that focus is likely to underpin the development of a strong work ethic. Work ethic is something not often talked about in the workforce, but it is absolutely a desirable trait. But again, be warned, perfection is not to be obsessed over, but rather used as a focus for, little by little, growing your own skillset and realising the potential of the business you are working within.
By Chris Thomson
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