I desire perfection.

It is a fact I am living with.

I don’t like to do things mediocre and so when I do something, anything, I review, I revise, I think and I think and I think.

My push for perfection had led to me being a complete and utter overthinker, which unfortunately resulted in inaction.

Making mistakes was something I detested in every aspect of my life.

I strived to ensure whatever I am doing was perfect.

Yet in aiming for perfection, it often meant that I would hardly ever follow through if it was not perfect.

“The fear of rejection creates inaction because the person doesn’t act, he doesn’t gain personal experience in that situation which is the key to learning and overcoming future obstacles.”
— John C. Maxwell, Author of Failing Forward.

Perfection is indeed a great deceiver.

It deceives into inaction, it deceives into thinking it is all about me and how it looks and so at times great purposes are never achieved.

The Problem With Perfection

Perfection cost me valuable relationships as I believed everyone had to be perfect and after taking a good self-account.

I recognized I could not expect perfection from anyone since I also was not perfect.

Now I strive to be the best I can be and not focus on perfection.

I have learned more than anything that failure teaches valuable lessons…that’s if one is open to the teaching it offers.

Failure presents the opportunity to determine what needs to be done differently, to rethink the process and also to rethink very carefully the reason for doing it in the first place.

“There is no achievement without failure. To even imply that it might be possible to give people the wrong impression”.
— John C. Maxwell, Author of Failing Forward.

The Better approach to achieve success

Failure teaches perseverance, because when I understand the purpose of a goal, even when I fail, I change approaches, change strategies, but always keep aiming towards the goal.

When I achieve success I value the effort and work that allowed it to be realized.

I exist in a world that applauds success.

However, many stories of success are pleated with repeated failures, before identifying and relentlessly pushing towards success.

“Often we are caught in a mental trap of seeing enormously successful people and thinking they are where they are because they have some special gift.

Yet a closer look shows that the greatest gift that extraordinarily successful people have over the average person is their ability to get themselves to take action”.
—Anthony Robbins.

I recognize that many persons have died with dreams that could have been put into action and change the world.

Yet they died with it as a dream because they overthought and waited for perfection, instead of pushing on and letting the world benefit from what they had to offer.

Perfection Alternative

Theodore Roosevelt” He who makes no mistakes makes no progress”.

The world may rate me on how good I was in my various pursuits.

However, my concern now is being remembered for living and taking action with a purpose.

While I am in no way condoning or encouraging anyone to engage in a venture with mediocrity. I do continuously encourage myself to offer what I have now and continue to improve daily.

“You’ll never plow a field by turning it over in your mind”.
—Irish Proverb

Ria Caliste Vanessa she engages on a life long path of self-discovery. A counselor and a writer for life. Connect with her at axiomcounsel@gmail.com or www.axiomcounsel.com