This week in my graduate course we are learning about quality management as it relates to operations in organizations. As I was reading through our material for the week I stumbled across something that I pondered with for awhile and it was the concept of pursuing perfection.

Is it achievable? Is perfection something really something worth pursuing? Are some “things” actually perfect?

What I finally settled on is this: Perfection is not attainable if we have a continuously improving mindset but if we define specifically what is expected of that product/service/team than perfection can then be defined. Some things ought to be perfect when it comes to doing their job, for example, an airplane tire needs to do it’s job 100% of the time of another one should be used… perfection is defined in the utility it provides rather than and end goal as it often is in athletics.

In terms of looking at ourselves and “personal development” I really do not like the word ‘perfection’ because it sets everyone up for let down. Contrarily, I think it is naive to think that we are anything close to perfection when looking in the mirror. Rather focusing on continuous improvement with segmented perfection in the form of achieved goals allows for the gratitude associated with success but will also lead towards long-term progression too. If you haven’t read my post on setting attainable goals check it out here.

I leave you with this, you are PERFECT right now just the way you are in every sense of the way if you have three things: a good heart and a willingness to learn and get better. Chase perfection but only on the small things, pay attention to the details and chase perfection in that sense but realize that continuous development is the best way to progress long-term. If you are a young athlete that is why we harp on the fundamentals so much because it is much more important to hone in the functional movements associated with your athletic movements if you are wanting to optimize strength and other things down the road. Just like a skyscraper, a good swing or anything else… “is built from the ground up.”