Self-Mentoring XIX ... Perfect IS the enemy of good!
Yes, you’re indeed reading this right. I haven’t made a typo there. Right here, I’ve just said “Perfect is the enemy of good.” You already know the “Don’t let perfect become the enemy of good.” It’s often said in context of practice but I’d like to give it a bit of a wider context. It’s also quite fitting given the present days. So, let’s dive in.
Alright, let’s start soft with the known ground. As mentioned at the start, the quote “Don’t let the perfect become the enemy of good.” You probably heard it most often when practicing anything, be it sport or art. It’s used as a form of motivation and to teach managing your expectations. It’s quite easy to get lost in wanting to achieve some high goal and chase it relentlessly. And what will this lead to? You guessed it; burnout, demotivation and you’ll either give up or keep pushing until your body gives up. And it may give up in such a way that the perfection you seek can’t be achieved anymore. And then what?
Well, here’s the thing. Perfection is subjective. What you call perfection is nothing else but a goal you set for yourself. A milestone in your life on the way of being human. And it’s a goal that applies to you and only to you. So why seek perfection that’s not yours? Sounds familiar? Maybe it reminds you of a different concept. Remember the “Comparison is a thief of joy?” quote? This is pretty much the same idea. By comparing yourself to someone else, you’re fueling the idea that there’s something perfect you’re supposed to achieve. But here’s the catch; it’s not your perfection. It’s perfection of someone else you’re trying to mimic. And by doing so, you’re eroding your own identity, becoming the “one of many”. “But I’ll be perfect!”, you counter. No, you won’t be. How can you be perfect when you have nothing to compare yourself to? You have no reference, no measure. The perfection becomes meaningless and hollow. Besides, what if that perfect means that you can’t do something that brings you joy? Is that what you want? Sure, you’re perfect, but you traded your soul for it. You’ve become an empty being. You’re perfect but are you good?
Chilling idea, isn’t it? Let’s go even further and ask yourself this. What kind of people is obsessed with perfection? Especially those who seek the “perfect human”? And what lengths have these people been willing to go reach their “objective” goal fueled by subjective feeling? Look no further than to these days. Or if you want to, modern history. Look at periods and places which were marked by seeking perfection instead of reaching out in cooperation. Look at the price that paid for such endeavours and to what goal? Destruction, erasure, suffering. It wasn’t perfect and it was horrendously evil.
There you have it. Don’t ever let the search for perfection overshadow the desire to be good because perfect IS the enemy of good.
R.R.A.