MAXREZ BLOG   •   STEVEN J. GILBERT   •   January 15, 2020

What price are you willing to pay for perfection? Missing deadlines? Less productivity? Frustration? All these things are as real as the struggle to be perfect! In the creative arts, especially, things can be changed or altered endlessly. So, you have to ask yourself, “is it just fine or good enough”? There is certainly a difference between the two. Can you guess what it is? Firstly, the satisfaction to take credit for and put your name on your work. Secondly, realizing that you have to assess what the ultimate purpose for the work is and if it meets its objectives. If it does, it’s just fine. Again, proud to call it your own and gets the job done. Sometimes, as much as we’d like everything to be just so, completing the job on time and going on to the next one is extremely important. It’s said that creative work is never finished, it’s just abandoned. Don’t get stuck!

Don’t let the feeling of being perfect on everything get you down. You have to figure out what you’re okay with to move on to the next project. It’s a part of your professional development. Besides comfort level, you also have to define what your perfect is. Don’t let comfortability and complacency get mixed up. The quality of your work will suffer.

Defining Perfect

Being perfect can take the fun out of it! What’s your perfect look like? Is it spelling errors, bad design, or a poor edit? Maybe it’s showing up early all the time? Your perfect is different than the next person. Let’s put perfection into perspective. Did Babe Ruth, Reggie Jackson, or A-Rod bat 1.000? No. Did Michael Jordan, Lebron James, or Shaq win all of their games? No. Perfect, by definition, is entirely without fault or defect. In other words – flawless. It is something that is almost unachievable. Not to say you can’t be exact. Spelling and grammar errors aside, it’s more about creative judgement. Use your skills to maximize your efforts, but be willing to learn and grow.

Striving towards perfection may be the best approach to achieve a satisfactory and satisfying result. Isn’t it about doing your best?

Striving for Perfection

Being the best may put unnecessary stress and pressure on yourself and your creativity to take the joy out of excellent work. You are probably already enough! But, don’t we all need improvement? Keeping score like a game in most likelihood is not possible. How’s your approval rating? Does everyone like your work? Seeking approval from others is sometimes empty and may never come. Get comfortable to say nice job to yourself. Stop beating yourself up to be perfect. Just put your best foot forward and give it your all. That’s all.