Have you ever used the term, “Good enough”? Have you ever been working on a project and reached a point when you said to yourself, or others you were working with, “Well, that’s good enough. It will have to do”?
Sure you have. We all have. What are we saying when we utter that phrase? We are saying that we can’t, or don’t want to do any more on the project. Sometimes that is okay. But, sometimes it is not okay.
It is okay when you have reached the project goal we set out to accomplish. For example, let’s say we were building a shed. Since most of us are not professional contractors, our shed will have several mistakes. Boards cut a bit wrong, the building is not square, windows and doors not exactly the right shape, the roofing varies in overlap, etc. But this is all okay, because for one: we may not have the skill to get it perfect, and two: it doesn’t have to be perfect. After all, it’s a shed.
It’s not okay to say, “It’s good enough”, when we are simply tired of trying, or it is a hard project, or we just don’t care. To not work on your project until it is excellent is a bad habit that is easy to fall into. This habit will erode your passion, commitment, confidence and ethics. It is a downward spiral that will take you places you don’t want to go.
Whether you are fixing cars, in customer service, medicine, law enforcement, education, government, or anything else, to declare your work, “Good enough” is a slippery slope you want to stay off.
Now, we don’t want to get caught up in “perfectionism”. That is the ditch on the other side of the road. Humans are not perfect. Rarely, if ever, can we do anything perfectly. There is a difference between perfectionism and excellence. Those who Pursue Great! are always in pursuit of excellence.
This poem contrasts the difference between Excellence and Perfectionism. I am unable to determine who is the original author. This poem also had been adapted slightly over time.
Perfection is being right. Excellence is willing to be wrong.
Perfection is fear. Excellence is taking a risk.
Perfection is anger and frustration. Excellence is powerful.
Perfection is control. Excellence is spontaneous.
Perfection is judgment. Excellence is accepting.
Perfection is taking. Excellence is giving.
Perfection is doubt. Excellence is confidence.
Perfection is pressure. Excellence is natural.
Perfection is the destination. Excellence is the journey.
Be someone who strives for excellence. See your projects and tasks through to excellence. Don’t bail out at “Good enough”. Even when it’s hard, tell the world around you, by your actions, that excellence is important!
Pursue Great! In all you do.