My wife and I were watching TV last night, when the person on the show said something to the effect of “I am looking for the perfect spouse.”
My wife and I both laughed! And, I hate to break it to them, but THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS PERFECT!
There is no such thing as a perfect investment, perfect spouse, perfect house, perfect job, or perfect fill in the blank.
It doesn’t matter what you are searching for, or what playing field you are on, the perfect choice does not exist!
Because perfect is an illusion.
“Perfect” Is a Lie We All Tell Ourselves
When we deem something as “not perfect”, we are able to get off easy.
We don’t have to make the hard choices.
We don’t have to do the hard work.
We opt out.
The perfectionist desires an outcome that can never be achieved. That’s why they’re a perfectionist–to hide behind the impossible.
– Seth Godin, Perfect is not the same as perfectionism
Therefore, “perfect” is nothing more than a lie that we all tell ourselves.
It is a crutch. It is a wall. It is something we are using to hide from the truth.
The truth is that we can’t make a decision.
The truth is that we are afraid to stand for something.
And that is perfectly ok. But let’s not hide behind it anymore!
There is No Perfect Way to Do Something
Of course there are times when we need to be highly accurate -> such as launching a rocket, building a plane, or creating a vaccine.
But highly accurate is still not the same as perfect.
It is easy to get bogged down trying to find the optimal plan for change: the fastest way to lose weight, the best program to build muscle, the perfect idea for a side hustle.
– James Clear, Atomic Habits
We are so focused on figuring out the best approach that we never get around to taking action.
In most of life’s circumstances we are searching for the optimal way to do something:
- the right time
- the right place
- the right person
- the right attitude
- the right weather
- the right price
Well guess what? James Clear hit this one on the head, because there isn’t a best approach or any right way to accomplish your goals.
The best way to do anything is to make a decision and act.
Don’t Strive to be Perfect: Strive to Act
There is no perfect way to invest -> just start investing.
There is no perfect way to lose weight -> just start moving.
There is no perfect way to be a parent -> just parent.
There is no perfect way to start a business -> just start.
And the antidote to “perfect” is through action and decision making.
Stop focusing on finding the perfect job, the perfect house, the perfect investment, the perfect fill in the blank.
If it checks off 9/10 boxes, make a decision and move on.
You don’t have to be perfect to build wealth.
You don’t have to be perfect to be a good parent.
You don’t have to be perfect to build a great business.
You do not have to be perfect to accomplish great things.
But you must act!
Perfect is the enemy of good. I ran an engineering department at a chemical facility early in my career and noticed two types of engineers. One group would agonize for weeks over finding the “perfect” design and never get anything done. The other group would get to a near optimum design quite quickly and then move on to the next project. We referred to the sweet spot as the point of diminishing returns. When the value of continuing to optimize a decision no longer justifies the time it takes to come to a result. Well said, perfect is not a realistic goal in almost every case.
We are imperfect people living in an imperfect world.
Also, i read somewhere that perfectionists, because there are so many things in life which in their view, as being” not quite right”, makes them more liable to suffer from anxiety/depression.