Striving for perfection makes us set higher standards and motivates us to improve. It is usually seen as a “good failing” to possess, but is it really?

There was once a carpenter who was approached by an expecting father to build a cradle for his kid. The carpenter envisioned an image of a perfect cradle and started working on it. But he was not satisfied with the final piece and started all over again. The father came to get the cradle the day his son was born but the carpenter sent him back saying that it was not ready yet. For the next two years, the father kept coming back but was always given the same answer. Eventually the child outgrew the crib and the father stopped coming. The son grew up, got married and became an expectant father himself. The grandfather-to-be went back to the carpenter to collect the old crib. But it turned out that it was still not ready because the carpenter couldn’t perfect it!

Even though this story talks in extremes, it is not far from the truth. The yearning for perfection can sometimes result in one of two things. Either (a) we don’t release the final product and thereby lose a crucial window of opportunity or (b) we never start on it because that perfect image is too hard to achieve.

As with most things in life, perfection is a trait that requires balance. The deterministic questions to ask here are what and why. What is the metric I am using to measure the quality of my work? And why am I aiming for this higher standard? We need to frame a clear reason, evaluate it and then use it as fuel to improve. The motivation for improvement should be a growth metric and not perfection itself.

Because perfection for perfection’s sake is narcissistic and ultimately meaningless.