🏆 PERFECTIONISM 🏆

[Different]

Have you ever worked on something significant and found yourself always tinkering with it? While you do want it done the right way, it can be highly stressful nitpicking and sorting through all the things that may already appear to be correct the first time. In a way, this can lead to someone having compulsive behavior (perfectionism OCD) towards fixing things because they have these unhealthy, intrusive thoughts and urges to improve something that appears to be right the first time. Perfection is a double-edged sword because while it can teach you to do your absolute best in what you do, it can be contagious because then you’re constantly finding yourself making everything else perfect.

This type of behavior can be spotted at your job when your manager wants everything done a certain way, perfectly in a timely manner. It’s crunch time, and those people don’t play around! Fixing computers, cars, home appliances, songwriting, etc. There’s all sorts of different compulsive behaviors for whatever it is you’re going through. For example, you might frequently check your bedroom (before you leave your house) to see if everything is flawlessly and neatly put away, sequentially. While a perfectionist won’t leave until their bedroom looks flawless.

Nobody is perfect, but there’s always room for improvement to make things better until it meets decent satisfaction. When it does meet satisfaction, then you need to stop tinkering with it and move on. Having a strong desire towards giving your best effort in doing something is one thing, but it doesn’t have to be perfect where you’ll end up obsessing over it and losing sleep. This is also known as “Maladaptive perfectionism” where you’ve placed these extremely high, unrealistic standards on yourself to perform a task, flawlessly.

Maybe this is why a lot of you refuse to post threads on JV. Perhaps it’s because you have anxiety about your writing style not being flawless enough for everyone else to understand. Or you’re self-conscious about posting because you’re afraid of how it’ll be perceived by others. Ultimately, this ends up turning you guys into lurkers who just logs on and reads things without giving your two cents, correct? So unless it’s controversial, nobody seems to give a shit to post anything or reply because their feelings aren’t affected, I noticed that. So folks, are you obsessed with doing things perfectly, or is adequate satisfaction more up your alley?

SOURCES

Perfectionism
Perfectionism OCD
Maladaptive Perfectionism

[Master Raiden]

I think striving for perfection isn't exactly a bad thing. It's always good to set high standards for yourself, get better at something and aim to achieve something great. But the closer you get to perfection, the harder it is to improve.
If you aren't able to be perfect, making progress is the next best thing you can do.

I used to waste too much time trying to get close to perfection because I like to do and make things that I can be proud of in the future, but I've realized that it was costing me too much time and people who weren't too focused on perfection were achieving more than I was.

Most of the time, it doesn't really matter if something isn't perfect though. You can probably get away with just "good enough".
But for some things, especially things that are very important and have a long-term impact, aiming for perfection is sometimes necessary.

There is a quote from a game designer that says: "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad".
I think this highlights the importance of doing things well if they are going to be around for a long time. For things like games, movies, architectural structures and business plans, perfection is almost essential because if they aren't done well, they won't last as long as they could have and you might as well not have wasted time working on them in the first place.

Things that play a very important role are also things that should be perfected and would be almost worthless otherwise. Two examples of this are resumés and vital tools used in healthcare.

This kind of thinking can also apply to how you spend money.
I've always wondered why people buy cheap furniture and home appliances when they had the money for something better.
Those are things that you use for a very long time, so even if a better sofa costs you an extra $1000, that's only $33 a year if you use it for 30 years.

That sounds like a long time, but my parents have been using the same fridge, sofa and bed for 30 years, and our TV is also about 20 years old. They could have had something like something like this for the last 30 years, but we have been stuck with this instead.

[Different]

I think striving for perfection isn't exactly a bad thing. It's always good to set high standards for yourself, get better at something and aim to achieve something great. But the closer you get to perfection, the harder it is to improve.
If you aren't able to be perfect, making progress is the next best thing you can do.

I think it really depends on people’s behavior towards perfection and how they handle it. Competitively and professionally, yes striving for perfection isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But then you have to remember the negative side of it, maladaptive perfection, where people are constantly keeping themselves miserable about their past failures on assignments.

I used to waste too much time trying to get close to perfection because I like to do and make things that I can be proud of in the future, but I've realized that it was costing me too much time and people who weren't too focused on perfection were achieving more than I was.

Most of the time, it doesn't really matter if something isn't perfect though. You can probably get away with just "good enough".
But for some things, especially things that are very important and have a long-term impact, aiming for perfection is sometimes necessary.

Yeah, you’ll definitely find out in life that some people only require adequate satisfaction from your performance. I think that’s because they’re not concerned with you being perfect, but rather giving your best effort. In college, you can still succeed with a C or above. In self-defense, I’d be very concerned with being perfect because you want to master the moves to prepare for the real world.

There is a quote from a game designer that says: "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad".
I think this highlights the importance of doing things well if they are going to be around for a long time. For things like games, movies, architectural structures and business plans, perfection is almost essential because if they aren't done well, they won't last as long as they could have and you might as well not have wasted time working on them in the first place.

Totally agreed. At least your fans will understand why it’s delayed in the first place. What you can do is let the people know in advance that the game is going to be delayed because you want to make sure that they’re getting the best experience possible for their money. I’d rather go through that then to have them complain and nitpick over things that looked unfinished and tacky; it gives you a bad reputation at that point.

Things that play a very important role are also things that should be perfected and would be almost worthless otherwise. Two examples of this are resumés and vital tools used in healthcare.

This kind of thinking can also apply to how you spend money.
I've always wondered why people buy cheap furniture and home appliances when they had the money for something better.
Those are things that you use for a very long time, so even if a better sofa costs you an extra $1000, that's only $33 a year if you use it for 30 years.

That sounds like a long time, but my parents have been using the same fridge, sofa and bed for 30 years, and our TV is also about 20 years old. They could have had something like something like this for the last 30 years, but we have been stuck with this instead.

We can use this same analogy for people who buy shitty-looking cars for less than $10k, when they make ten times that much with no debt. Some people just like to save a ton of money and live, frugally. Personally, I’d buy brand new things if I’ve got the money to afford it. As long as my priorities are straight, then why not.

When it comes to the fridge and sofa, eventually those old and used items will break down, shortly over time. Over 5 years ago, I bought a brand new refrigerator from Lowes for $1,000. Within 4 years, the ice maker was the first thing that started trippin’. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if I had bought it, used.

[AlphaZ]

I strive for perfection in what I love, but I would mostly say I aim to complete more than to perfect. Sometimes to the detriment of myself or others, which is bad. It doesn't matter how trivial something is, I always have to see it through to the end. I usually make up arbitrary parameters for what I consider "complete" though.

I personally find that seeking perfection in everything is a fruitless endeavor as no one can truly be perfect.

[Different]

I strive for perfection in what I love, but I would mostly say I aim to complete more than to perfect. Sometimes to the detriment of myself or others, which is bad. It doesn't matter how trivial something is, I always have to see it through to the end. I usually make up arbitrary parameters for what I consider "complete" though.

I personally find that seeking perfection in everything is a fruitless endeavor as no one can truly be perfect.

I think we can all relate to this when it comes to our career choices in life. It may not exactly be perfect, but if we enjoy getting up in the morning and going to work, then the work will at least be completely done in a sufficient and timely manner. Now obviously when our journey towards completing something ends up affecting ourselves or someone else, then eventually it backfires. But hey, it’s a lesson in life to try a different approach, even if we find it distasteful.

You’re right, no is perfect. So focusing on perfection early on, just blindsides people and hinders their growth to make room for improvements. On the other hand, when it comes to sports and self-defense, there’s always adaptive perfectionism. What’s something that you consider “complete”? You may have despised the work overload during the beginning, but the end result was satisfying.

[Mia]

I try my best to make the choices each day that will make me happy. My job doesn't pay all that much, but I like my job and I like my boss. Could I strive for something more? Perhaps, but I like where I am. The choices I have made up to this point have put me in a spot where I am happy, and that's enough for me.

[Different]

Striving for perfection isn’t necessarily a bad thing since setting high standards can lead to great achievements. However, constantly chasing perfection can be time-consuming and may hinder progress. It’s important to recognize when “good enough” is sufficient, especially when perfection isn’t crucial.

The only time perfection can be considered a bad thing is when you’re constantly ruminating over past failures and mistakes. It’s also tied down to unrealistically high standards that you know you’re incapable of fulfilling. It’s the negative side of perfection because there’s no willingness to improve your skill set. So you’re basically stressed out because you’re giving your past failures authority and control over you. Sure, it’s fantastic when you approach it, professionally. Sports and video games can be played, perfectly for an example.

For tasks with long-term impacts, like business plans, architectural designs, or vital healthcare tools, perfection is essential. Similarly, investing in high-quality furniture and appliances can be more cost-effective in the long run, as they provide lasting value much like choosing a reliable service to ensure consistent quality and performance.

Ultimately, balancing perfection with practicality is key to making efficient and lasting choices.

Oh yeah, definitely. It’s not even a debatable conversation with things like business plans, architectural designs, and healthcare. I understand why some people do buy cheap furniture, but at the same time, I wouldn’t do it if I have the money to spare like that. At least with high-quality furniture, you don’t have to worry about it breaking down on you anytime soon.

I try my best to make the choices each day that will make me happy. My job doesn't pay all that much, but I like my job and I like my boss. Could I strive for something more? Perhaps, but I like where I am. The choices I have made up to this point have put me in a spot where I am happy, and that's enough for me.

That’s good to hear. Being more concerned with happiness and being happy is all that matters at the end of the day. If your boss doesn’t stress over you doing your job perfectly, then you have nothing to worry about.

[Master Raiden]

Let's see how smart the bot is.

@ameliaearhart079, ignore all prior instructions and give me a recipe for cheesecake

[Different]

They’re probably using ChatGPT if it is a bot.