Perfection

Last night on the way home from the baseball game where my former hometown Albuquerque Isotopes beat the stuffing out of my current hometown Round Rock Express (and I was thrilled to watch the 11-0 trouncing by the way!), I got into a rather interesting and somewhat enlightening conversation with my older son Zach.  It started over a sports related topic which I shall not bore you with but ended with talking about mistakes and perfection.  Somehow I found myself telling my son that nobody's perfect and everyone makes mistakes and that's just part of life.

The conversation spun around in my head all night for a variety of reasons.  One, I had just played the same placating parent card that most of us do when we don't have a better explanation for our children.  That's just what way it is?  Pathetic.  Second, because after thinking about it, hearing it all my life and realizing that I had myself blindlessly accepted what I had just told him, I really didn't believe it. And worse, I had just done him a great disservice in helping perpetuate this evil myth that perfection is unattainable.

We've all heard over and over again that nobody is perfect and it wasn't until I myself lamented it for my son as unquestionable fact that it really began to bother me.  The simple admission that nobody, especially ourselves (after all who do you think you are, special or something?) can't possibly be perfect at anything, much less what we put out minds to.  Our mindless admission conveniently gives us all an excuse for not striving for perfection.  Isn't it really just life's little way of saying, failure to perform is okay...heck it's even expected...especially by you! You my friend should not evenspend any the time trying to fight it because it's impossible.  Nobody is perfect right?  The saying says as much of course it doesn't lie right?

What?  Are you kidding me?  I don't think that we should buy into that b.s. and honestly, neither should you.

I believe that if you don't expect, hell, demand perfection of yourself in the things that are important to you then of course not achieving perfection is all but guaranteed absolute certainty.  I simply believe that the self-depreciating saying is flat out wrong and our blind belief in it holds so many of us back from achieving real greatness in our lives, in our careers, with our families and of course our relationships. If we're not focusing on hitting the target every time perfectly then why even draw the bow back to take the shot?


Demand perfection of yourself, of your actions and of your outcomes and don't listen to that garbage that achieving it (whatever it is for you) is impossible.  Trust me my friends, if it weren't possible, none of us would be here.  Think about it.

"They say nobody is perfect.  Then they say that practice makes perfect.  I wish they would make up their mind."
                                  - Winston Churchill

Ripple On!!!