Should You Strive For Perfection, Or Choose Excellence?
When trying to improve any area of your life, you may sometimes find that you have the tendency to try to be “perfect”. Some people hold the belief that if you do not go all out and try to become the best, then it is not worth the time or effort. Holding yourself to a high standard is fantastic, but there is a thin line between high standards and perfectionism. In this article I will explain the drawbacks of pursuing perfection and why choosing excellence is the right choice in most situations.
Perfectionism is a personal philosophy of demanding perfection from yourself and accepting nothing less. In most cases, a goal of perfection is unrealistic at best and impossible at worst. This is because perfection often can not be concretely defined and is subjective. For instance, can the perfect body be defined? Ask ten random people to define the perfect body and you will most likely get different answers from every one of them. While there are scientifically supported methods of determining attractiveness and health (such as waist to hip ratio, body mass index, and features like strong jawlines in men), you would be hard-pressed to find universal agreement as to what would constitute the perfect body.
There are exceptions to every rule, and in this case it is no different. In a few specific situations the pursuit of perfection is feasible and almost a requirement. At very high levels of competition where the slightest advantage can be the determining factor, those who are able to hone their craft to perfection are often victorious. An example of this would be Olympic athletes who have a set routine to perform. If they are able to pull off a flawless performance, a medal is pretty much guaranteed.