We all like to do things well. Make them the best possible. Be perfect … but beware! Extreme perfectionism is much more harmful than making a mistake. Instead of looking for perfection, isn't it better to look for excellence?
Let's analyze "excellence", with the qualities that a healthy search for perfection has as a means to achieve the greatness of the human being, without forgetting that happiness is the ideal companion on this path.
Excellence must contain doses of:
Responsibility: is to accept that in our life, we have the last word. For better or worse. You are just as responsible for acting as you are for not acting. Choosing not to make any decisions is in itself a decision for which we are responsible.
Optimism: focusing our lives on possibilities, expecting the best from ourselves, and from others, gambling because we will do well, leaning on hope as the engine for action.
Positive thinking: Nothing is more harmful than annulling ourselves and closing our own doors in anticipation of negativity.
Acceptance of error: Perfection is not achieved, but through error, the learning that we achieve when we understand that this was not how we should do it. Rectify and correct are two samples of great wisdom.
Healthy ambition: cultivating the desire to be an excellent doctor, or sportsman, or singer, or mother, is not bad, indeed, it is an impulse that helps to avoid procrastination.
Perseverance: many begin projects and adventures, but only achieve excellence, greatness, those who insist, continue, and continue until they reach the end.
First things first: doing a lot, or doing something, is not always a sign of progress towards excellence, but knowing how to prioritize, decide what is necessary and discard the accessory is the key.
Flexibility: accepting the unforeseen, changes of plans, accidents, the unpredictable, the one that escapes our control is something that should not sink us into frustration and discouragement.
Focus on a mission: If we prioritize a certain plan or a specific goal and the unforeseen changes our plans, we must remember what our mission is. Because it is more important to have a mission than just follow a plan. A Plan may fail, but our mission is still there. Choosing other goals or paths is the option when plans fail.
