"Hmmm, I'm not quite sure it's there yet..."
I don’t believe in the concept of perfectionism. If someone tells me that he/she is a perfectionist, I am wary. And very frightened.
Over the years, I’ve gotten to know and work with some alleged perfectionists, and they are truly troubled souls.
They use the idealistic notion of their ever-elusive pursuit of perfection as a cloak that permits eternal indecisiveness, procrastination and never fully embracing anything. It’s all too easy for a perfectionist to be dissatisfied because everything falls short of a perfectionist’s nosebleed high standards.
Perfectionists use the excuse of “I’ll know when I see it” but that’s a lie. They’re faking it. They haven’t a clue of what they’re looking for. They cannot offer constructive criticism, only criticism that “it’s not there yet.” Perfectionism also creates an ideal environment for procrastinating. The finish line is always just ahead, and when and if you cross it, the perfectionist is still not quite sure the race is won.
The ironic thing is, perfectionists are the most perfectly miserable people on earth because they are so rarely satisfied — and rightly so.
My nickel psychoanalysis of perfectionists is this: they are insecure weenies who are afraid of commitment because they believe if the work fails it will show badly on them. They are cowards hiding behind an undefinable ideal. In short, a perfectionist is someone who projects they cannot and will not accept any stench of failure, thus they accept no responsibility.
Screw perfectionists and their noble crusade. Give me decisive souls willing to act, take chances, learn, grow and lead. There’s work to be done, battles to be won and valuable knowledge to be gained.
Leave perfection to God, where it belongs.
We’ve got work to do and life to live. No, it’s not always perfect, but it’s worth living without the fear of failing perfection.