Perfection Will Drive You Crazy

I’ve never thought that perfectionism is a bad thing. I appreciate when others strive for order, and strive for perfection in the things they do. I generally strive for the same. I think that people who put a lot of care into things they do, even tasks as simple as how the towels are folded when they’re fresh out of the laundry, make the most dedicated professionals. I’m not perfect; no one is, and no one can be perfect. However, you can certainly try; but you will make yourself crazy doing so. It took some real workplace experience to teach me that nothing can be truly perfect. Being perfect is being the best you that you can be. Let’s take a walk down my path to discovering why perfection is impossible and how I let that go…

When I was a sophomore in high school, I started working in a retail setting. The responsibility of having a job inspired me and gave me pride, motivating me to do the best job I could every day. Because of this, I took it very seriously. I always tried to go above and beyond for customers, and I took a great deal of pleasure in keeping my workspace organized and tidy, and even other parts of the store when I had the chance. Of course, there were unmotivated days, but most of the time, I was giddy to be at the store. A lot of my colleagues found this strange, as not many people enjoyed retail. I don’t think it was the work I enjoyed as much as the buzz of productivity and the praise I would receive for a well-done job. This is where I think my desire for perfection in my work began.

In my senior year of high school, I started to put more effort into the work I produced. As I began to choose classes in competencies I cared for, my assignments became more specialized. Working on things that interested me made it much easier to put additional effort, detail, and care into my work. I graduated with motivation and excitement for what was to come. When college came around, that’s when some anxiety kicked in…

I enrolled in a public relations program at my local college. This fantastic, fast-tracked program got you a three-year advanced diploma in only two years. It was an exciting time for me, finally taking the first step into the future and pursuing post-secondary education. As a teen, I am grateful to have been praised for my writing skills. I can be a run-on sentence user and a very verbose person, but I could always articulate myself in the literature I created. In my program, there was a strict style guide to be followed with our writing. If mistakes were made, marks were deducted. Sometimes, several marks per mistake depending on what kind of mistake… What pressure! Although it is a totally reasonable grading guideline since it taught us to be consistent and accurate in what we wrote, I think that it also tricked me into believing that my writing would never be perfect.

Because I was now in an environment with writers and speakers who were the best of the best, I felt like a whole new frontier of perfection was ahead of me. Every time I thought something that I did was great, I was immediately overwhelmed with the idea that it could be even better. Believing that there is always room for improvement is a healthy mindset; because everyone should seek growth to keep striving for the best results. I would get carried away with that sentiment. This is where the problem arises because although there is always room for growth, that does not mean that your best at the moment isn’t also great! There would be moments where I would edit my writing ruthlessly. I would go through my papers and make edits, correct errors, and rewrite sentences that were fine to begin with. This kind of obsession with my work grew beyond just a desire to ensure I covered all the bases of the criterion. It became a battle with perfection, not realizing that that was impossible.

I secured a work placement with a great team in my final year. I reported to the communications pro of the office. An admirable wordsmith and super-editor. This taught me a lot about writing etiquette and work expectations in the workplace. It also helped me realize that in the real world, no one is spending three hours editing a 150-word caption for a social media post or crafting a perfectly worded email that was already great on your first try. This experience also helped me realize that the simplest writing can convey a message the best. There is no need for excessive fancy language or comma-heavy descriptive mumbo-jumbo.

Most importantly, I learned that when you spend too much time rereading something you’ve written, you start to drive yourself crazy with editing urges. If your sentences are legible, voiced properly, free of errors, and concise… you’ve achieved your goal. You can write a sentence in infinite

In my job now, I still have a lot to learn. I work with an amazing team that keeps me motivated and excited for each new day. I always strive to put my very best work forward, completing tasks with care and concern on a daily basis. But sometimes, I still find myself scrutinizing my writing a little bit too hard, even something as simple as an email that is already written the way it needs to be. Then, I remember to take a step back and evaluate for legibility, simplicity, and voice. After this, I check for errors and flow, and then I can move on to my next task. As you gain even more experience, you will grow and become better at your skills every day. Significant improvement doesn’t happen in one editing session or workday.

To better combat this, I stopped striving for ultimate perfection and began striving for the best results. With this shift in attitude I was able to relieve myself of the pressure from the desire to be perfect. Now, I am excited to do what I do, collaborate with others, and check tasks off my daily list. It’s easier for me to do my best work when I stop over-analyzing what I would create. Even in this blog post as I’m writing, I’m editing! Every day is a learning experience with a lesson everywhere I look. Leaving perfection behind and focusing on doing my best has been a good learning experience.

I’m grateful for my real-world experience and a plentiful number of mentors crafting me into the professional I am today. Today, I’m proud of all the work I do and have done. Even if I look back on my previous projects and think “I should’ve written that a different way.” That is a sign of healthy growth in the right direction. I know that each day, I do the best I can, which is why improvements happen. If your work goes above and beyond and paves the way for you to grow into a better professional with each passing day, I would say you’re pretty close to perfection anyway! Always try to achieve your best because your best changes every day. Even with experience and drive, perfection may not be impossible, but you are always capable of being the best you can be.