Perfectionism is dead, long live Persistence

This post is meant to be a follow up to a critique which I made of the blog post "7 Reasons why Perfection is a barrier to your Success".

I was not entirely satisfied with the points made by the writer and added my own spin to them - from an Engineers point of view. I wish to expand upon my comments slightly and add into the mix this statement;

"Perfectionism is dead, long live Persistence"

What is does a Perfectionist look like?

Persistence conjures up a rather different vision to that of perfection. So when you imagine a perfectionist, who do you think of? Possibly, you may be remembering that 'perfect' school kid which you shared a few classes with when you were a child. I wonder how successful he or she became? Or you may remember those conversations which you overheard from grown ups about how little Harry or Harriet is perfect in everything that they do. He or she will achieve huge success and the World is her or his oyster. Please feel free to imagine here - it is important to visualise what it is that you are chasing - that perfect result. 

What does a Persistent person look like?

Persistence, this conjures up a slightly duller, and less sexy image. These were the kids at school who were better then average, still managing to maintain a balanced existence. Perhaps in or on the verge of many school teams, from chess through to rugby - everyone knew them by their sheer disdain for the fact that they were never going to quite be the best, yet they tried anyway. You know of these boys and girls. They didn't grab all the achievements, but they got the merit awards, 'A' for effort, and their heads scruffed up for trying their best.

Both of these are paths to success, yet possibly only one is truly admired. Which one is it for you?

I do not think that they are too dissimilar in their potential outcomes. The more sexier 'profectionist' path conjures up an image of a golden boy/girl, where everything they touch turns to gold, a virtuoso. They have this incredible talent, and preside over always being at the right place at the right time. Cynically, these 'perfect people' are assumed to get the lions share of breaks in life, and that their success is in fact, inevitable.  That's a lot of pressure I say.

The less attractive path, the one of consistency, doggedness and hard-work... well, it's not as an enviable existence as the former. Yet I believe that they are the same traits of an identical mindset - from different points of view and stages of development. Goal chasing dreamers.

For some of us, perfectionism comes at a cost. Blood, sweat and tears. No! For all of us, attainment of our goals [even those set by our tutors/parents/mentors] can be hard work, it involves sacrifice and actually doing something! We just don't like to admit it. We much prefer to say that 'they' were built that way, and 'they' had all the advantages. So, why do we think this way? 

Just because we have not found a cause yet or a 'why', which truly inspires us to concentrate our mind, body and soul on. Those who chase a dream, a vision and are willing to commit to the journey, may not find what it is that they are looking for, but they will learn a great deal from going through this process. That process of learning is lost to those who fall at the first hurdle or three. 

I do not think that it is healthy to deal far too much in the technical nature of our work as Engineers - this is not the way to absolute professional freedom. It is essential that we practice and develop our skills as per our work dictates or our Institutions recommends, but it is as equally important to realise that there comes a time when you have to let go, trust in your experience and stay relevant. Perfectionism of technical ability is a trap which we must avoid.

I refer you to a great post by Seth Godin [the self truth, and the best violinist in the world]

Seth explains that the quest to be the technical best is an excuse. He says it’s a form of hiding from others and the marketplace because while you’re constantly refining your craft, you resist putting effort towards making real art and real connections. You’re not pushing the boundaries of what you can do and extending yourself. Instead, you waste time and energy staying inside the lines trying to conform and think this behavior will put your skills in high demand. [as taken from here, the perfectionism effect].

I began writing this post by wanting to tease out the meaning of perfectionism so that perhaps we can avoid it at all costs, because it is a terminal state of fulfilment. Perfection is an obstacle to continued personal innovation and creativity. I have duly learned that this term could possibly be just a label, which is slapped on those who we wish to aspire to. So therefore it will always have meaning for us both professionally and personally. One version of perfection is an idol, envisaged by their followers to be perfect. Another more dangerous version of perfection is one which you assign to yourself. 

We all like to be thought of as 'perfect' in our own right. Right?

Should you decide to pick a subject matter, a sport, a career and strive to be perfect at it, then you are doomed to failure. 

Should you pick one of the above and strive to be the very best at it... well now you are thinking differently. Pitting yourself up against a very real and tangible target can advance your learning and knowledge in a big way. Tough competition represents a route of accelerated learning, use it to catapult yourself into a new specialism. One where you can define the field and set the rules. Use this goal as a tool to get you where you need to be in your career and life.

Thus I have decided that in my mind, perfectionism needs a re-booting. During this post I have discussed that persistence and consistency are also a routes to success, and that there is a misunderstanding here, as to what perfection is. I say that you cannot proceed closer to your goals than those of us who choose to understand ourselves completely, and what it is that we want out of our 'doings'.

You are given a goal, you practice hard, you practice harder, then you improve upon those newly acquired skills. You eventually have the appearance of being highly skilled, of being a perfectionist, and you achieve success. Outwardly you make it all look too easy. So hard-work and persistence IS perfection. Perfection that is, in the eyes of outsiders, looking in.

"Perfectionism is dead, long live Perfectionism [persistence/consistence/concentration/understanding]"


Engine[er]