The Persistent Pursuit of Perfection!

That’s right! I’m one of them! A perfectionist! I am always striving to be perfect in everything I do. I hate failure, and that is what drives me toward perfection. I want to be perfect in my career, in my family life, in my sports, in every area that I can think of. I am an avid bowler of 5 years now, and every night I strive for that “Perfect Game of 300”, although I have not reached that goal yet! When I am asked the inevitable strength and weakness questions in job interviews, I usually use the word “perfectionist” as my answer to both!

See, I think perfectionism can be a strength. It keeps a person always moving forward. When that person falls short, it’s dealt with and s/he is looking into the “why’s” of the failure, and then is back at it full steam ahead. It creates constant goals for achievement. If perfection is the goal, and we all know that being perfect is nearly impossible, then isn’t there always a goal out there to work towards? This is how the perfectionist needs to view their actions (and where I try to spend most of my thought): as a continual walk towards the ultimate achievement of perfection!

Where one needs to be careful (and this is where it may become a weakness), is that perfectionism can lead to self doubt. As a person falls short of his/her perfection goals, they can become consumed by the “failure.” They begin to self doubt, not remembering that perfection in anything is virtually impossible. They dwell too much on the shortcomings, and not enough on the journey. The journey is what it’s all about. That’s the fun stuff! Not the stones in the road that we trip up on.

I recommend that you perfectionists keep this in mind as you continue on your path to perfection! Remember that perfection is a very lofty goal that’s very tough to reach, and at some point you will fail. It’s how you choose to react to that failure that will distinguish you from the others. Be persistent! Don’t fall trap to self doubt! And, remember, it’s the journey that is the biggest reward! Not the end result!

What do you all think? Are any of you perfectionists? Or, is perfectionism just too draining to be involved in?

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