In Pursuit of Perfection or Navigating the Journey to Excellence?

A few insightful articles on excellence and perfectionism ignited a powerful sense of curiosity. This curiosity propelled me to delve deeper into understanding the nuances between striving for excellence and the often-paralyzing pursuit of perfection. An attempt to draw distinction between excellence, which embraces continuous improvement and learning, and perfectionism, which demands flawlessness.

Perfection and Excellence. Is it the same or different?

In my research, I had the opportunity to listen to Eric Best, a diving coach (who works with Olympic medalists), who suggests aiming for excellence rather than perfection.

Breaking Up with Perfectionism, a TED podcast (https://link.chtbl.com/LTl3BvHU)

Eric Best lays emphasis on setting realistic goals – those that are a reasonable stretch from where you are now, rather than seeking to achieve a “perfect ten”.  Focus on measuring your progress rather than how far you are from an aspirational state. Choose a few specific areas to improve on instead of overwhelming yourself with everything that went wrong. In judging, a score of 10 is often considered the perfect score, but judges are reminded that 10 is not synonymous with perfection. Instead, it represents the top of the scale, being described as "very good" in one judging context and "excellent" in another.

Vince Lombardi, The American Football Coach said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence!” 

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Excellence [ ek-suh-luhns ] Noun: the fact or state of excelling; superiority; eminence.

Perfection [ per-fek-shuhn] Noun: the highest degree of proficiency, skill, or excellence, as in some art. the state or quality of being or becoming perfect. A perfect embodiment or example of something. a quality, trait, or feature of the highest degree of excellence. the highest or most nearly perfect degree of a quality or trait.

Source:  Dictonary.com

Interesting right? So, Is perfection, excellence or is excellence, perfection?

Excellence means greatness — the very best. Achieving excellence is never easy to do. It is a quality that people really appreciate, because it's so hard to find. Excellence is the quality of excelling, of being truly the best at something. Getting an A+ shows excellence.

Perfection is a flawless state where everything is exactly right. It can also be the action of making something perfect. Since perfect things are without fault or flaw, perfection is a perfect condition — everything is 100% great. Of course, perfection is hard to find. People often use this word as a compliment for something that just couldn’t be better.

Source:  Vocabulary.com

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Excellence is a state of being exceptionally good and outstanding in a particular area or endeavor. It encompasses various attributes and behaviors that contribute to superior performance and high standards. Some of the key aspects that define excellence are high standards of quality; continuous improvement involving innovative approach and nurturing creativity.  

Perfection is the state of being free from all flaws or defects, achieving an ideal or complete state - if there is one and I believe this is one’s perception. It can also be a quality or condition of a given state. It possibly represents the highest standard of excellence, where everything is in its most complete, ideal, or best possible form. Few aspects which can be identified with perfection is Ideal state, completeness, flawlessness.  I believe these aspects are a perceived thought / notion and may differ from person to person on how one defines or interprets perfection.

Instances of Excellence

1. Achieving high grades in education – academic excellence.

2. Athletes who perform at the top of their game show dedication to training and maintain peak physical condition consistently over a period of many years and excel consistently. Usain Bolt / Roger Federer (do not miss hearing Roger Federer’s Commencement Address at Dartmouth, just few days ago - https://rb.gy/10qmlv).

3. Companies deliver high-quality products or services consistently and delight customers with innovative practices and products.

Instances of Perfection

1. Mathematics / Logic: A Pythagorean theorem that is universally accepted and applied, illustrating a perfect relationship in geometry. Logical arguments that are flawless, consistent, and complete.

2. Performance: Music rendition or a sport performance executed without flaw – textbook performance – based on a perceived theory on what the perfect shot / hit / kick / punch is.

   1. Nadia Comăneci's perfect 10 at the 1976 Olympics, a first in Olympic gymnastics history.

   2. Japanese Sushi: The perfect sushi showcases impeccable rice texture, fresh ingredients, and artistic presentation.

Whether in pursuit of Excellence or Perfection, one needs to have high commitment and stay dedicated towards their goal. Being effective and efficient in what they do, holding oneself accountable, taking ownership of one’s actions and their outcomes. Being reliable and trustworthy in fulfilling commitments and in the process being able to uphold the values & principles of ethics and integrity.

Excellence is not a one-time achievement but a continuous process or a journey, a blend of hard work, dedication, and a commitment to maintaining high standards. It involves consistently striving to discover a better version of oneself and delivering outstanding results in every endeavor.

Perfection is setting high standards and consistently maintaining it and defining new standards is the norm. This pursuit of perfection can be stressful and can lead to burnout and help one being ridiculously not self-compassionate with one-self. Further, it can also lead to procrastination, overthinking, over analysis and often set unrealistic expectations, leading to frustration.

One key difference I've noticed is how individuals treat themselves, which sets perfection apart from excellence.

In achieving both excellence and perfection, one can derive immense satisfaction and sense of accomplishment.

Can excellence lead to perfection? Don’t know. As I noted earlier, Perfection possibly is the highest standard of excellence.

So, which one are you? Perfection over Excellence or Excellence over Perfection?

A possible approach would be to:

• Work towards achieving Excellence, aim for continuous improvement and high standards while acknowledging and learning from imperfections.

• Stay realistic. Seek Clarity. Set ambitious goals, yet attainable goals. Clarify the goals to maintain motivation and to stay inspired.

• Accept imperfections: Understand that nothing can be perfect. What is perfect for you is imperfect for others. Imperfections are part of the growth process and can lead to innovation and resilience. More importantly it will lead to growth and freedom.

• Enjoy the journey, value the journey of learning and improvement. The end results may differ from expectations, outcomes need not be flawless.

Recognize that excellence does not require perfection. Evidence shows that it's aiming high, not pursuing perfection, that gets results.

Confession: I claimed myself to be a perfectionist. Friends and colleagues who I worked with can vouch for this. I am now in the progress of stripping that label having given myself the permission to be imperfect. I have uncovered many shades of imperfection in me. This article is another attempt of mine to be imperfect.