Many of us believe that it’s good to be a perfectionist. After all, the very word “perfection” has a positive ring to it. It sounds like something that’s better than anything else. But it’s also very easy to get bogged down in perfectionism. When you keep trying to get all the details right, you forget to look at the big picture. And this can result in many problems.
Pitfalls of Perfectionism
Your perfectionism might lead you into focusing on only one part of the big picture. So if you’re running a business and you’re trying to get your sales to go up to a point that you consider “perfect,” you may be ignoring your employees or even treating them badly by expecting them to stay overtime on a regular basis or by berating them when they don’t live up to your expectations.
There Is No Such Thing as “Perfect”
Another, bigger, problem with perfectionism is that there is really no such thing as “perfect.” Maybe you are looking at your competitors and how much they’re making and you start thinking of this as perfect. Or maybe you have an inner vision of how things should be and you start thinking of this as perfect.
Miss Universe 2019 on Beauty
Everyone would admit that the winner of the Miss Universe pageant is probably one of the most beautiful women in the world and as close to perfection as anyone can get. Yet, Zozibini Tunzi, the winner of this pageant in 2019, said, “I grew up in a world where a woman who looks like me, with my kind of skin and my kind of hair, was never considered to be beautiful.” Zozibini comes from South Africa and grew up in a world where she was considered far from perfect. But now, the tables have turned.
Looking at the Big Picture
The important takeaway from this is that if you find yourself hankering after something which seems perfect but also distant, keep in mind that it’s probably not perfect. Instead, look at the big picture right now. How is your business doing in terms of sales, marketing, product development, human resources etc.? Chances are you have certain strong points and certain weak ones.
Trying to Make Overall Improvements
Rather than getting bogged down in making one aspect of your business perfect, try to make it better overall. And keep in mind that the people who work for you are the heart of your business, so it’s important to keep them happy and satisfied with their work conditions. You may never reach perfection, but this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t celebrate every milestone you achieve.
