The idea that perfection is a prerequisite for success is prevalent both in popular culture and in self-help books, but it’s not entirely accurate. In fact, the desire to be perfect can diminish a person’s likelihood of achieving what they want in life. Being perfect is a vampire: constantly sucking the blood of your success. So what does it mean to be successful? What this post will explore are some examples of people who have achieved greatness without being perfect.
In a previous post, I covered the idea that perfectionism can be looked at as a compensation for low self-esteem . “ Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people .” Life is messy and there are no strict criteria for classifying something as perfect. Even if there were some kind of universal criteria, it would not apply to everybody; therefore, success can only be defined in relative terms. In other words: Perfection is an idea that belongs to someone else’s mind map. Its perception as “success” on your part will not be the same from the person’s point of view.
The desire to be perfect can diminish a person’s likelihood of achieving what they want in life.
In the case of success, it is often defined by what you have: money, fame, a nice car and so on. There will always be someone with a bigger house or with more…
