You have all heard it before; someone making their passionate proclamation that they are not perfect. It is quite common now when you address the fallibility is someone’s behavior or level of work that they respond by pointing to their innate imperfection. The quest for perfection seems futile and in-efficacious. Why strive for that which is unattainable; after all, isn’t human perfection the ultimate paradox.
What most people fail to see is the fact that striving for that which is unattainable has great value. When you strive for that which seems completely out of reach complacency has no position your life (CLICK TO TWEET). The person that strives for perfection consistently seeks something greater than themselves. The moment that perfection first becomes your quest will prove to be a defining moment in your life. It will be the moment that just good enough became not good enough.
Khalil Gibran once said, “March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns, or the sharp stones on life’s path.”
True progression is achieved when you move towards perfection. The issue in not whether or not perfection is attainable, the issue is that seeking perfection solidifies the ultimate standard. The one that aspires to greatness by means of perfection acquires much.
“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” (Vince Lombardi)
Setting the Standard
Aiming for anything less than perfection is setting the stage for complacency and mediocrity. When using your imperfection as a reason not to seek perfection, you have given yourself permission to meander through the maze of mediocrity and substandard achievement. You have provided the perpetual excuse that allows you to freely be less than what your potential presents. You should not exit this life with potential that has not been exhaustively actualized.
There is no futility in seeking perfection, but there is dishonor and deception involved with failure to seek it. Striving for perfection insures that you present your best because you have pushed yourself past your limits and your place of comfort in order to find something greater.
A business mentor once told a student that he (the student) would transcend all that he had taught him and accomplish far more than he (the mentor) did in business because he consistently “failed forward”. Curious and somewhat offended, the pupil asked how failure equates to success. The mentor’s response set the standard for my approach to life. He said, “Son, you fail consistently, but your failure always equals success! You aim for the sun, so when fail you still hit the stars. You swing for the fence, and every at bat does not end in a home run, but when you make contact, you make an impact. So in essence you fail forward. You set your goal beyond the impossible so that you may reach the unattainable.
This is what striving for perfection does, it sets a great standard that drive us to greater heights.
Character & Integrity
The fact that you are an imperfect being should never inhibit your quest for perfection. Unless you have a passion that drives you toward perfection, your imperfection will always be an excuse to fail. The quest for perfection is not futile; it exposes your character, builds your integrity and cultivates perseverance. When you press inexorably towards perfection, your ability to except failure dissipates. When perfection becomes the standard, your best is consistently expressed in your actions.
The quest for perfection places you in rare company, because very few have the fortitude to breath the thin air associated with the attainment of such impeccable standards.
Perseverance
Perfection introduces intolerance. In this culture, intolerance is a bad word; however intolerance is a driving force that simply refuses to accept anything that it considers substandard. Intolerance apprehends the vitality in the pursuit of perfection. When you enlist in the pursuit perfection you enter a constant continuum that pulls you toward your designed destiny. There is a greater you that will never be birthed outside of striving for perfection.
Striving means to devote significant energy and effort to reach or obtain a set or specific goal. Whenever you strive for that thing which seems unattainable you expand your reach and you re-position your thought processes.
Striving for perfection creates an endurance that when cultivated becomes perseverance. Perseverance is one of the most powerful virtues that a human can possess. Perseverance outlasts the vicissitudes of life. Perseverance propels you beyond disappointments. Perseverance does not give consideration to difficulty and pain. Perseverance says that I will attain it or die trying.
So, striving for perfection is not is not futility personified, but the beginning of greatness.
