I am a big fan of Amir Khan who is famous as Mr.Perfectionist but let me tell you it is not very healthy to strive for perfection always. Seriously, perfection is an illusion and will always be an unattainable goal.
If we wait for everything to be ‘perfect’ for us to start, we are likely to let ourselves down.
Don’t wait for perfectionism
My friend was busy preparing her own YouTube channel of cooking. I remember, she had shown me the list of recipes which would get covered in her channel, right from home made chocolates to breads, biscuits , cookies and many more. I was so excited.
She really makes delicious recipes. So it was the best decision to start something like that. So yesterday, I asked her about the progress and date of channel launch.
To my surprise, she said that she has dropped the idea of her YouTube channel. It was something seriously unexpected for me to hear this from her. And I wanted to know the reason.
Let me tell you what’s that. She is a big fan of the famous cook Ms Tarala Dalal. And she wanted her channel to be exact like Tarla’s channel with her own recipes.
I mean with proper branding, graphics, professional cameraman, attractive cookware, modern kitchen, good oven and so many things like script writer and all which needed heavy investment at the very first stage.
She decided that let all set up get perfect, or her financial condition get to a level where she can invest huge amount on her dream then she would start and share it.
I listened to her and related it to one of my past experiences where I lost one big opportunity, waiting to be perfect at that. So, I suggested her to just jump into it with whatever she has.
Because, the recipes, tips or the main content she knows are brilliant and are the core part for her channel . Other factors are secondary. I mean ‘good to have’ but not mandatory.
Somehow she got convinced, but the image of ‘perfect channel for homemade food’ is still in her mind which may restrict her from doing anything.
With my experience and this example of my friend, I can say that sometimes, trying to be perfect might make you NEVER GET STARTED.
Perfection is an illusion and unattainable goal
Just to discuss the same thing with you, I can relate this to one more example of Miss Mithila Palkar. Many of you might know her.
Even though she is in top most list of famous actors in today’s web series, she got her stardom with her first and random cup song which she actually recorded sitting in her bedroom, without proper lights and normal phone camera.
The video went viral and she got the fame from that, and eventually things got in place where in she got lots of offers from various platforms.
Just imagine, if she had waited for making the perfect video in a soundproof set or studio, in perfect lights, with perfect camera, perfect angle and so many other things, she would had delayed in her career and would lose may current opportunities. Right?
It is just an example of randomness and getting into the things on time instead of waiting for the perfect time. As you can see, Perfection is a moving target.
And I think it happens with all of us. We always try to create perfect vacation, perfect party, perfect dinner, perfect plan for life, perfect career and so on.
But many times it ends up with good enough and not the best or perfect as we expected.
At some point I had to stop myself and ask what is this all about? What is perfection anyway?
I am not saying that you should compromise for the quality of the work you are doing, but giving extra stress to make the thing more and more perfect even if it is good, is painful.
Just jump into it. Have some positive self talk and step into the unknown with little preparation and don’t wait for being perfect.
I have seen people become stressful to get the thing ‘perfect’ to impress someone else. But I think a little piece of your soul dies every time you sacrifice your truth to conform and make someone else happy.
A lot of problems in our society have arisen because people goal for this undo-able status of perfection.
Trying to be perfect annoys people around you
If you are a perfectionist you are likely to be so serious about life that you neglect to have fun. And nobody wants to be around someone who is serious all the time. It’s boring. Isn’t it ?
Also a person who is an extreme perfectionist is not easy to work with. He is likely to expect everyone working with him to have the same standards of perfectionism.
Which is just not possible. Everyone’s general level of motivation is different.
There’s No Such Thing As The Perfect Body
The idea that we should have perfect bodies with some predefined measures has been reinforced by the media. Very often, it forces many girls to follow some diets and exercises to the extreme levels. And they begin to damage their bodies.
Many develop eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. In the quest for perfection they actually make their previously healthy bodies appear worse.
Through extreme makeup, lighting and photo editing, imperfect people are made to look perfect. People with flaws are made to look like they have none.
When people attempt to match up to their ideal image of perfection, they end up self-harming, depriving themselves of the proper and necessary nutrients needed to function which lowers their self-esteem and can ultimately lead to serious mental disorders like depression.
This brings us to a conclusion, true perfection is not only unattainable, when it seems something is perfect, it is an illusion.
It’s okay not to be perfect
So what can we do to eliminate this illusion of perfection? We need to stop labeling one another as perfect, we need to stop aiming to be without flaws and get a grip on reality.
What you should be striving for is how to be real.
Being real means coming to terms with the fact that it’s okay not to be the funniest, it’s okay not to be the smartest, it’s okay not to be the prettiest, and it’s okay not to be perfect or it’s okay to be not okay for others.
The reason we desire being perfect is that we assume people won’t judge us if we don’t have any flaws. If we appear perfect, then we will not be criticized or that is what we believe.
But we forget that everything has flaws and you are no different from anyone else. Now perfect is not achievable but near perfect is.
Instead of trying to be perfect, we can go for excellence or near perfect especially if there is a low margin for error in the kind of work we do.
Conclusion
DONE is better than perfect! As perfection is an illusion
It’s so easy to lose yourself when you’re trying for perfection all the time. Not worth the stress at all!
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Oh no! I really hope your friend changes her mind. Its so much better to start something and learn along the way that to come out being Ms. Perfect. That’s not a good thing to do comparing yourself to someone else’s success. Remind your friend that Ms Tarala Dalal started where she is when she first started. I hate to see someone give up on something they were so passionate about just because they are comparing someones middle to their beginning.
Yes Michele. I am trying to convince her for the same.
I used to strive for perfectionism as I wanted people to praise me and want to know I am talented. I didn’t want people to know my insecurities and blemishes. I still have an hard time with this but I am seeking help.
Hello aisasami, one thing you have to remember that you can not please everyone. Some People will appreciate some will not. So instead of wasting time in perfection, you should keep the timeline in mind .
You really give some great reasons why not to seek perfection to the point where it hinders your production or creativity. So good.
Thanks ????
Yes i agree perfection is an illusion
Thanks Asif ????
Yup, trying to be perfect is very stressful and I hope everyone understands that there is no such thing as perfection and its an illusion as you mentioned.
Love this. I feel like if someone who isn’t trying to be perfect is more relatable than someone who is trying to be perfect. I used to be a perfectionist and that caused me to be hard in myself when things didn’t go right. I am no longer that way.
That’s great thing. Of course we should not compromise with the quality but deadline should also be the concern.
I absolutely agree. There is no such thing as perfection. But there is such thing as progress. If you are continuously progressing, you’re doing great.
Well said ????
Perfection also it comes with practice !
Yes that’s true. But we should not keep things pending till the perfection
I am so happy I get to read this post today. I was waiting for perfection to start my YouTube channel. My native language is not English, so basically waiting is an excuse because I was not confident and that was a fear. I overcome my fear and started my channel anyway this month! I am working and improving. Thanks for the inspiration!
You r welcome Nilakshi ????. I would love to watch, if you share the link of your channel
really cool . I do agree
Thanks ????
Excellent content and real life examples!
Thanks for writing about this topic.
Thanks Vinod ????
So many times we strive for perfection which is unrealistic, my networking mantra is now good enough is good enough.
Very well said Helen.
Great content! Super high-quality! Keep it up! 🙂
Thanks ????
It is best to stay happy on whatever you do in your life. Savor each moment, not to achieve perfection but taste every journey in life, may it be sweet or sour. Moreover, stay positive always. Thanks for sharing the truth of life.
Thanks Maria ????.
There’s no such thing as perfection but in striving for perfection we can achieve excellence great post for today!
Thanks ☺️
I’ve been trying to embrace imperfection for the last few years, however it’s a struggle! I remember someone suggesting to replace “perfect” with “excellence” (or similar word) anytime you want to use it in a sentence. That has made a huge difference for me.
Well said Julie ????
Oh my goodness, I LOVE this post. I’m going to try to remember some of your great points working with clients.
I actually wrote a shorter yet on the same topic post earlier this year.
https://www.jessicasheffield.com/affirmations-combat-perfection/
All of us have moments where we expect too much of ourselves. I hope your friends cooking channel takes off!
Oh my goodness, I LOVE this post. I’m going to try to remember some of your great points working with clients.
I actually wrote a shorter yet on the same topic post earlier this year.
https://www.jessicasheffield.com/affirmations-combat-perfection/
All of us have moments where we expect too much of ourselves. I hope your friends cooking channel takes off!
Thanks Jessica ☺️. I too hope that she starts soon but this ‘perfectionism’ is a like ghost which keeps haunting people to wait long unless the things are perfect.
Thanks for sharing your article, I am happy that someone is there who has similar thoughts as of mine. ????
I struggle with being perfect but after this…. Game changer!!!
Thanks dianahkristine ????????
This has so much truth to it. Perfection is something I talk to my kids about a lot. I like them to know perfection is never ending. When you strive for perfection it is something you will never obtain. When you realize that, you can begin to really love yourself for who you are. I think people get caught in the trap too often. They want to be perfect. it is sad to watch as those people are constantly upset with themselves.
Thanks Jody. And that’s so true, I have seen people continuously upset even after good results, only because they are not best as per them.
Excellent advice … and I love the real life stories. Better to step gently forward in the direction of our desires before we’ve got it all figured out …. otherwise we’re never goi g to move forward. Thank you for sharing the wisdom here.
Thanks Karletta ????
bringing spontaneity.into reality gives satisfaction to the creator. If it’s really creative it will get it’s due. That is the case if Mithila.
Practicing own skills will make one perfect. The expectations of perfectionist, of expecting others should be perfect, makes protection imperfect.
Very well said…
Thanks ????
Perfection come under nature’s domain. If nature is not perfect, universe will collapse. There can be no competition to nature’s perfection. Our understanding of nature is also not perfect. Nature do not come under belief, but real. But mankind is living on belief. We can’t conquer nature.
Well said !