[The Art of Failure] #2. Failure’s Enemy – Perfectionism

Failure begins from trying to be perfect.

Failure starts from trying to make things perfect. Oddly, we feel a need to have everything 100% ready before we begin working. Although we do not know when this became a habit, it probably became emphasized by focusing on what others think about us. Since it is important to look good and put together in the eyes of others, we must do well from the start. Products that are not “perfectly made” are not displayed in stores for customers to see.

Perfectionism usually arises not from trying to satisfy the customer, but rather from fulfilling self-satisfaction. In many instances, we obsess over things needing to be perfect for ourselves rather than for the customer or the market. However, this creates a self-obsession and products that the market and customers do not want. One of the things that perfectionists lack is the ability to receive feedback. Because they have a self-made standard about the perfect results, they are not receptive to hearing feedback from others. However, remaining stubborn may result in taking the longer route back to square one. The wasted time and cost in doing so is quite significant.

Perfectionism is also accompanied by the hastiness to complete everything at once. We know that even the action scenes in movies that seem “perfect” were not done in one take. We end up seeing the best version of many takes and continuous editing to improve the scene. This is the same for advertising. The advertisement photo we see in magazines is the one chosen from hundreds that the photographer and the model took. They all try to make a “better” outcome, not a perfect scene.

A common aspect we see in perfectionists is the lack of communication. Especially communication with the market and customers. Feedback is need from them to continuously fix flaws and improve, but perfectionist hold onto their own standards and edit according to this standard, resulting in an end product that seems perfect to oneself. In order to complement this flaw, they must build their ability to “listen”.

One might think, “Yes, I can listen well” but improving one’s ability to listen requires great patience. After listening for a long period of time, one will need to fight the urge to speak. The more one has experienced things and has been educated, one comes to believe that he/she knows more and becomes used to speaking more. Eventually their ability to listen decreases.

When I thought to improve my listening, I listened simply to listen with the thought of collecting information. I talked myself into thinking that the things I was listening to would be useful information for myself and for my business and therefore valuable information. Thinking this way makes it a little better, but listening is still difficult! However, there are unexpected gains from this effort. The more others talk, the more information flow into me. My customers are continuously feeding me information for free. So, what else is this other than sheer profit?
Perfectionism encompasses the craftsmanship of making a better product, so I am not criticizing it completely. However, the biggest problem of perfectionism is the possibility of missing the right timing. Right timing is very important. If one is an hour late to a date in order to look one’s best for the date, it ruins the date itself. Therefore, instead of focusing on being perfect, one must focus on continuous improvement. In the word “improvement” there is no definition of perfection because improvement simply strives to continuously seek a better situation.

Feedback from customers is important in order to improve. Customers do not think to give you exact feedback, so you must earn it through your own effort. Speaking in terms of a date, you must figure out what the other person thought of the date in order to make the next date a better experience. Trying to plan for a perfect date can actually ruin the date each time.

It is difficult to ditch perfectionism overnight. I used to be a perfectionist myself and as my health became affected due to this perfectionism, I began to change the way I think and switched to pursue “becoming better.” I hope your opportunity to changes comes not as a health issue but as a positive opportunity. When you switch to strive towards becoming better, you will be less worried and less stressed than when you used to be a perfectionist. To all perfectionists: give it a try. For escaping from perfectionism can decrease your insomnia and hair loss!