Perfection
I've been thinking again about those who look to results as opposed to process and, in a search for the perfect result, miss out on the pleasures of effort. The question comes up in everything we do: Must we achieve a particular result, must we achieve perfection (assuming it is indeed attainable) to enjoy activities, or should we enjoy the effort whatever the result? It comes up in the context of "settling", in work, in hobbies, in games. I'm one who argues that we should never stop trying, never stop improving, never stop looking for better things, but I also think that contentment is important and that to achieve contentment we have to accept that the important thing is the effort. The pleasure in our lives is trying to do better, whatever the result.
I've been guilty of perfectionist tendencies myself. In years past, I refused to settle, I refused to be content with anything less than perfection, I criticized myself for small flaws. In that way, I failed to enjoy what I had, I was not contented. Now that I have lived longer and thought more about this issue, especially about the importance of process as compared to results, I recognize my error. It's not the result, perfect or imperfect, that's important, it's the process, the effort, the activity, that's important.
If we can seek perfection but enjoy ourselves whether or not we achieve perfection, indeed, whether or not we are even improving, we'll be contented. If we can understand and appreciate that it's the journey not the destination that is important, we'll be contented. If we can accept the difficulty of achieving perfection and accept imperfect results, while taking pleasure from the effort, we'll be contented.
Never stop trying to do your best, never stop seeking to achieve perfection. But don't let perfection be the enemy of the good, don't let imperfect results take away the pleasure of effort, and enjoy the process. You'll be happier and you'll set a good example for others.
2-6-06
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