Perfect is the Enemy of Good
Introduction
Perfectionism is both a curse and a blessing. It makes a person strive towards the ideal and reach previously impossible heights of development and skill, but it also takes its toll on the mind and life of the individual striving towards the perfect. Perfectionism has undoubtedly given us some of the greatest works produced by mankind but it has killed far more. For every awe-inspiring finished piece, millions of dead dreams have paved the way forward. The idiom “perfect is the enemy of good” highlights this, and it applies to most people I believe. While everyone might not be a chronic perfectionist most of us often stop ourselves from doing things because we fear that it might not be good enough. Today we’re talking about how to overcome this fear and how to embrace imperfections as a way towards the perfect.
If you try to make something perfect you will miss out on creating so many good things. Focusing all your attention on one perfect thing will stop you from creating so many little things that are simply good. Most of the time good is enough, you don’t worry about walking perfectly or eating a perfect meal every day, yet when it comes to art or other work we often obsess over tiny little details, details that are invisible to other observers. Just because something isn’t perfect doesn’t mean it’s not good, in fact, a lot of times the imperfect can be better than the perfect, especially when it comes to art and expression. We perceive imperfections to be human, more grounded and often more relatable. The perfectly mixed vocals can come off as robotic or lacking in certain emotional depth as compared to the imperfect. We perceive mistakes to be charming or what gives a work of art soul - if something is too neat, too perfect it can come off as superficial. We instinctively know that as humans we are far from perfect and those unique imperfections are really what gives us character. If everyone was a perfect clone of each other we’d live in a very boring and monotone world. While we may know this it can often be difficult to embrace it when it comes to our work.
We view it as a separate thing from ourselves but simultaneously something that represents more than our human bodies, it represents our minds, spirits and ideals - things we hold to a different standard, a standard which isn’t limited by the same physical limitations. Our work is an extension of these parts of our inner workings we want them to be perceived favourably, and we want them to be perfect, and because of this, we hide it away from others. Working meticulously or giving up completely, and so much good is lost because of this. If you could do something good a hundred times for different people it will outweigh the amount of good one perfect thing would do for one person. Odds are the work and things you enjoy aren’t perfect - as such the things you do can be enjoyed by others despite their imperfections.
Good and the Perfect
First, what is the difference between good and perfect? Good we can understand in many different ways, being something positive or desirable, the opposite of something bad. This leaves good being comparative by nature - good is only positive in comparison to negative. This makes good a spectrum, it’s a variety of things to varying degrees. Good can always be improved upon but it can also always be lessened, it’s not static and can be changed by other parameters. The perfect on the other hand is something that is so utterly complete that no change can or could occur. It’s finished and we can even see this in the grammatical rules of perfect tense. E.g. “I painted a painting”. The verb is finished. Now we often don’t think of everything finished or completed as being perfect - indeed the French poet and essayist Paul Valéry said it best:
“An artist never really finishes his work, he abandons it.”
To Valéry and many others, perfection is unachievable, a work simply reaches a point where you have to leave it to do other things. In this way, perfection often becomes a hindrance to creativity and human achievement and it stops us from doing something good. Life isn’t perfect, it’s not static and it’s ever moving and changing, nothing ever remains the same, if it did it would be perfect. A tree never becomes perfect because it’s always growing and changing and we can also never become perfect because we’re living things. Not even rocks remain exactly the same, nothing that is exposed to the physical world remains static. Good embraces growth and it moves towards the perfect, the ideal, being overcome with despair because it isn’t perfect leads to stagnation. Good represents hope, improvement and an upward movement. The fear of imperfection is because of this: bad. It manifests as despair, stagnation and a downward spiral. Changing our perception and understanding of both the good and the perfect allows us to embrace the imperfect and use it to propel ourselves towards the perfect.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” - James 1:17
This part of the Epistle of James sheds light on this. Both good and perfect are from the same source, and on some level they are equal. Good might not be perfect but is still a gift and a positive one. Instead of viewing the perfect as something unattainable and something impossible - we can instead view it in the grammatical sense as something that is done and finished. Being realistic and grounded in viewing your work allows for better productivity - it’s important to recognise flaws and see where improvements can be made but understanding what is good is equally important. You can obsess over minuscule details forever and there will always be more you can do, but lingering on it will stop you from doing so much other stuff that is simply good. It’s important to be humble when it comes to this, and when critiquing yourself to be constructive and kind also. Find a balance between quality and quantity. Making a lot of things doesn’t immediately equal good, but understanding what is good and allowing it to grow allows for more creative freedom and development. Take sketches for example: a sketch doesn’t have to be perfect. It shouldn’t be perfect; when an idea comes to you it’s important to capture the essence, iron out the details and improve it along the way. An idea can be good, while the first iteration is not, and that’s okay. Don’t let that stop you from taking that first step. After all the path to success is built by stones of failures. Don’t let perfection stop you from finishing work.
Finishing Work
A lot of people, especially creatives and artists struggle with finishing work. There’s a plethora of reasons for that, and one common one is the fear of imperfection and the work not being good enough. What is “good enough”? It’s up to the creator of that specific work to decide and that’s not always an easy task, there’s always things to polish, always more that can be added, and it’s far too easy to overthink and overwork stuff. You don’t even have to be a maximalist to struggle with it, it comes very easily in the creative process. Your mind is working hard and if you’re a person with a vivid imagination it’s easy to start wandering and getting sidetracked. Most people eventually get to a point where they “feel” what they’re doing is done. Maybe they truly feel it’s complete or maybe they’ve grown tired of working on it. Eventually, you will get to a point where you have to let go - whether you feel like it or not.
“Arrakis teaches the attitude of the knife - chopping off what's incomplete and saying: 'Now, it's complete because it's ended here.'” - Frank Herbert
It’s worth practising embracing letting things go and letting them out, even if they’re imperfect. As previously stated nothing in this world is ever truly perfect, and you have much more to do. Don’t let the fear of imperfection stop you from doing. It’s by facing your shadow and recognising the flaws as nothing more than temporary that you can truly achieve greatness. You’re also not the sole judge of what is good, bad and perfect. To each person, these words carry unique understandings and people might enjoy your work more than you do, and the work which you adore might not resonate with them at all. You can’t create from that point where you work for somebody else’s approval. Fall in love with the process, as messy and as imperfect as it is. You don’t even have to share your work with the world, and if this can remove the pressure that stops you from exploring your own creativity then this is good. Don’t be afraid to fail and make mistakes and don’t be afraid to finish the things you start.
Everything is temporary and vain and this can be a scary thought to a lot of people, and a comfort to others. We want the good things to last forever: to be perfect. But we want the bad to be temporary. Buddhist monks practice making beautiful patterns out of sand and gravel on the floor, before sweeping them away. Accepting that what you create is temporary can either chain you to perfectionism or liberate you to a degree where you are completely apathetic. There’s a middle way here where you can alleviate yourself of the stress and need to be perfect without facing an existential crisis. What you do does matter and it is important, it might not change the world but it can bring a smile to somebody and it can be a process to lose yourself in. If you don’t finish and move on then there will be a lot to lose out, not only creatively but in life in general. Don’t get stuck trying to get that one thing perfect, just let it be and continue. By the time you would have made one perfect thing you will have made so much good stuff.
Always strive to do better and to improve, but don’t be too harsh on yourself and don’t let it get in the way of you actually doing. In the end, doing is more important than thinking, and you will always be able to look back at what you’ve done and you’ll realise a lot of it was pretty good, maybe nothing perfect but that’s not important. You’ll be much richer surrounded by the good things than that one perfect thing. Don’t let your fear hold you back and get doing. Remember perfect is the enemy of good - become the friend of good and embrace the process.
