I would like to talk about perfection. I was prompted to write this when I saw the title of a new book, “The Perfection Trap. Embracing the Power of Good Enough,” by Thomas Curran. I took delight in the title because in my retirement, I have told my adult children that doing things “good enough” is my new way of thinking, that it relieves stress and makes me feel satisfied. I was quick to point out that I was in no way lowering my personal standards, just changing the way I approach my work, whether it’s washing the car, maintaining the garden, painting the window frames or fixing the clothes dryer. I feel a lot better being able to say, “There, that’s good enough,” knowing that I did my personal best to complete the job and can attend to my other priorities. Too often, we stress ourselves out by thinking that everything must be done and seen to be done to perfection because of what people—friends, family, bosses, etc.—think of us, because we think we have to achieve even what’s beyond our ability to achieve, because our parents and other adult role models taught us to believe that the way to achieve success is on the merits of outstanding work, because we think perfection is the coveted character trait that must dominate our personalities. I ask you, “Is imposing the stress of perfectionism on ourselves necessary?” During retirement, I decided to save some money and fix the clothes dryer myself. I ordered parts, totally dissembled the unit, put it back together and said to myself, “That’s good enough,” meaning I gave it my best and took delight in its operation. I didn’t go into the project thinking, “I’ve got to do a perfect job. It must work. What will my family think of me if it doesn’t? The repair service will chuckle because I had to call them. How humiliating would it be to have to take the family’s clothes to the laundromat? What’s my neighbor going to say about the “perfectionist” next door? You shouldn’t have to wait until you retire to learn about perfectionism and stress. Like the book title suggests, embrace the power of good enough.” [Look for this writing in the next edition of my Public Relations Playbook https://amzn.to/2MOlgv8 of insights.]
0 Comments
Do you consider your PR job a mere task. Maybe you should be thinking more about a career. Instead of looking forward, consider looking back. Who can do that better than someone in their 80s who has been there and done that career journey?
What do I see? First and foremost, people with extended life spans—call them bonus years. I see people in jobs that are not sustainable for the long term. I see people working careers within careers for financial stability. I see people trying to achieve an acceptable work-life balance without a vision for the future. I see people, for whatever reasons, making excuses to turn a blind eye toward opportunities for growth and advancement. Yes, I see people resisting changes and transitions that are essential in today’s evolving professional landscape. To make sure that you are not vegetating in a mere task of a PR job, see if you can answer yes to every item in the following quiz.
|