Make Peace With Imperfection

Whatever I do is just not good enough for her...

Sounds familiar?

Probably you have just found yourself working with a perfectionist.

I personally had on many occasions worked with perfectionists. And when come to bosses, it can be a nightmare. I remember this perfectionist boss shouting at me on a beautiful morning to get a scratch from a staircase railing removed (he thought I was God) because he cannot tolerate even a scratch – for that little scratch irritates him, get on his nerves , it made him mad. From then on, I met a couple of more perfectionists and I like to compare them with this ex-boss of mine. How perfectionist is this perfectionist? ..I will start analyzing.

I concluded that an absolute perfectionist never get to enjoy inner peace. They always wore a frown on their faces, words that came out from their lips were always filled with complaints and when you hang around them long enough, you may even catch the perfectionist bug!

Do we need this type of people in the work place? Ironically, people who are very hard on others are usually very hard on themselves. They set high targets for themselves as their need of achievement is extremely high. Read about McCllelands’s three basic needs of employees. In other words, there are people that tend to be more perfectionist than others because of this need. The good news is that there are positions in the company that you would not mind a true perfectionist sitting on them such as Accountants and Engineers. Recruiters will spot for hints of perfectionist in these candidates and if they have it, we say they probably fit the job better than someone who does not.

But let’s get this right – imperfection is part of life. Whatever vocation we are in, we should not cease to do our best but it would turn out to be a problem when we are overly attached and focused on what’s wrong. I think it’s good to realize that while there’s always a better way of doing something, that does not mean we cannot enjoy and appreciate the way things already are.

I like one saying – as you begin to eliminate your need for perfection in all areas of your life, you’ll begin to discover the perfection in life itself. And you know what, that would really free many of us from taking ourselves too seriously. So, chill out, will ya...:)