Perfection
Life-ing - The Series.
What an exciting topic to start the year with. It's been a bit since I shared my thoughts, understanding, knowledge, and life experiences.
As I burrowed deep in thoughts, reflecting on the past 12 months (more accurately, 120 months and beyond), I realized that so much had happened within the timeline… I guess they can be called lessons, nuggets, or 'life-ing.'
First, a disclaimer – these 'life-ing' stories are not some ‘2023 reflections'; I wouldn't want this precious piece to be boxed in that category. Instead, I'd like it to be seen as an evolution through time.
Join me in the next few weeks as I share my ‘life-ing’ experiences and conquests.
- Perfection
- Impostor Syndrome
- Collaboration
- Forgiveness
- Moving on
- Redeeming Time
- Authentic: Be-You-tiful
This week, let's look at perfection.
Perfection.
Much ado about perfection. With an engineer father and a mother who constantly told me that 'anything worth doing at all was worth doing well,' I was instilled with a strong work ethic, and a career in management consulting reinforced this standard of perfection. Perfection came with its perks – quality, reliability, and excellence; however, I learned that the first output doesn't always have to be perfect.
For a long time, I had a negative perspective on work critique; I saw it as an indictment and a judgment of my effort. This view held me back from taking risks and being vulnerable. I had a set standard for everything, and I couldn't forgive myself when things fell short of these standards. I recently realized that achieving perfection takes time and is 'continuous' at its best because there will always be room for improvement.
'Life-ing' has taught me that each deliverable is an improvement opportunity and that feedback is a treasure, not an indictment. I've learned to ask for feedback and incorporate comments and thoughts to produce a better version. I have discovered that perfection is not a solo achievement but a combination of knowledge, viewpoints, experiences, and collaboration. You can get infinitely close to perfection, but you can never be absolutely perfect, and that is absolutely okay. As long as the world evolves, the standard for perfection will continuously change.
So, what are your struggles with perfection?