From an early age, many of us are instilled with the idea that perfection is the ultimate goal.
Whether it's getting straight A's, excelling in extracurriculars, or meeting lofty parental expectations. While this is admirable in theory, relentlessly pursuing perfection can eventually become a stumbling block to growth and achievement.
Some of this I know from personal experience. As a child, academic success came naturally to me, and excellence was deeply valued by my family. Somewhere along the way, this translated into an unhealthy focus on perfection that strained my relationship with work and activities that I used to enjoy.
The desire to avoid anything less than perfect became paralyzing at times. I vividly remember the feelings of intimidation before workshop/review days in my freshman writing class, because at that point in my life any criticism meant my work was hopelessly flawed. It was a powerful lesson to realize that not only is perfection an unrealistic and elusive goal, but it is actually counterproductive. So many times, allowing myself an imperfect first draft had been the thing that got me over the bottleneck of procrastination, and some of the most helpful learning opportunities were on works that showed potential but needed improvement.
This point of view applies well beyond academics. Whether it's taking on a new role or project at work, trying an unfamiliar professional task, or tackling an ambitious personal project - if the bar is set at unattainable perfection, you may end up freezing up from fear of inadequacy as the weight of those impossible expectations becomes crippling.
What we can do instead, is shift our focus to continuous improvement. You start from where you are, with the knowledge you currently possess. You give your full effort, ask questions to fill the gaps, apply that learning, and embrace opportunities to iterate and improve over time. This is the truly sustainable path.
One of the first times this dawned on me was when I read an article in the September 2019 Liahona - I’m not Perfect Yet by Joëlle Spijkerman. This wasn’t the first time I had heard the call to be perfect, in 3 Nephi 12:48, discussed in a way that meant gradual progress until we are ‘complete’. But it was the first time I really understood it and saw exactly how it would fit in my life. Joëlle discussed how because of the atonement we can eventually overcome our weaknesses, challenges, and imperfections if we strive to focus on Jesus Christ and keep him in our hearts.
Heavenly Father wouldn’t have allowed the events of the atonement to play out as they did if he expected us to be perfect here, instead the whole point of our mortal existence is continuous improvement. We have temptations and mistakes so we can learn, grow, and change. By the grace of the atonement we can strive to be good, then, better and eventually our best possible selves. But it would not do to miss the point of the greatest learning experience, our mortal existence, by being hung up on perfection.
We are all works in progress. Perfectionism often masquerades as a worthy objective but is really just an inhibitor of growth. Embrace your imperfections, remain open to feedback, and prioritize giving your personal best at every stage.