Perfection isn't Pretty

Perfection is hard work, hard dirty work. There are certain things that we all consider valuable enough that we always want to give it our best shot. Some will shine their bikes, like they’ve never seen a splatter of mud. The horsepower doesn’t change, the accessories don’t change, but gosh they are just prettier when they are shiny! I’ve been known to polish up my stainless steel appliances until there is not a single fingerprint anywhere. Well, we all know that only lasts a moment.

In a recent article, statistics said that women will only apply for a position if they feel that they have all the qualifications. Men on the other hand, feel that they only need to have 60% of the requirements*. In this day of fluid characteristics, I am well aware that not all men or women are this way. But let’s just say that no amount of body fat has prevented some people from parading around in their shorts…and admiring themselves in front of a mirror.

Holding up Perfection is a futile task. Where’s the fun? We are not perfect and neither are our partners, children, colleagues or pets. It is a difficult thing to constantly strive for the impossible and downright mean to expect it from those around us. There is a huge difference in expecting the best effort from someone and from setting the bar so unrealistically high that the one we're watching will give up in despair. “What’s the point?”, they ask,"he/she will never be happy with my result".

Let’s just choose ONE thing that we want to work on today, to be the best that we can be, and worry about the rest tomorrow. Maybe today, we could just work on that smile to a stranger. The mud, fingerprints, and messy teenage rooms can wait.

Surrender to the im-perfect and have fun!

Perfection in Canmore, AB.

* Dr. Ann Daly, former Associate Professor @ University of Texas quoting a Hewlett-Packard study, citing from a McKinsey Quarterly.