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Does Perfectionism Sometimes Need to Be "Perfect?"
Yesterday I described how a positive approach to perfectionism often is pursued best by adapting to changing circumstances and resetting expectations to produce the best possible outcome under those circumstances. Resetting expectations isn't always possible, though.

Sometimes, you don't control the expectations. Sometimes you have to conform to an external, preestablished standard that somebody else sets.

An Olympic figure skater can't reset expectations and accept missed jumps or changes in routine as acceptable. They're being judged on the basis of set requirements for their performance. Does that mean that perfection is an absolute after all?

It certainly is in the eyes of the judges. They judge on established guidelines. The "good" and "bad" perfectionism still comes into play in the way they approach their performance.

The figure skater who approaches the performance focused on fear of mistakes won't get far. By focusing on possible mistakes, they will find themselves making them.

The figure skater who falls will lose some points. If they get up and focus on making the rest of the performance the best it possibly can be, they will salvage something out of that opportunity, even if they can't get a perfect score. If they get up, though, and focus on thinking, "how many points will I lose?" or, "I'd better not make any more mistakes," they will make even more and lose more points.

You might say that the victim of "bad" perfectionistic thinking replaces the preestablished standard with their own, even higher standard. Agonizing over every minor glitch along the way overrules any more constructive approaches that would let them fix the current effort and improve future results. They settle for a dead end instead of a deeper exploration.

The "bad perfectionist" figure skater never even makes it to the Olympics. They give up before they can achieve their actual potential. They give up before they get the chance to compete at that level because they were discouraged over not being "perfect" immediately and always.

Meanwhile, "good perfectionist" figure skaters become masters of their craft because they focus on what it takes to excel rather than focusing on their mistakes.

What do you think? Is there such a thing as absolute perfection? How have you approached situations where you were expected to perform to someone else's standards?
Jeff

Labels: business success, mindset, perfectionism