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Excellence Is Not Perfection

Scott Couchenour • November 4, 2020

What is and isn't attainable

You want things to go right, no? So do I. I suppose we all have a little perfectionist tendencies in our bones. Let me draw a distinction between perfectionism and excellence. I believe it is important to understand before we embark on this journey of excellence much further.


Perfection means having it all together and never making mistakes. Perfectionists are never content, therefore are never happy. Those who interact with perfectionists do not enjoy being around them because they are always frustrated. They are frustrated because they can't quite seem to reach it. They are trying to get what cannot be gotten. They are constantly seeking a mirage.


Just this morning, my wife asked me what was wrong with me. I said nothing was wrong. And then I realized it. I had been irritable at the dog and her. It was because I wanted my business to be running on all cylinders and I still have a long way to go. I was leaning into perfectionism and it resulted in irritability to the point that my wife noticed it (my dog may have too but she doesn't say much.)


A person of excellence on the other hand accepts the fact that perfection is not possible. It is the mindset of continual growth and learning and changing as new information reveals the "unconscious incompetence" we've been blind to up to the point of the new knowledge. Excellence is not just acknowledging the new-found incompetence, but does something about it and doesn't rest until unconscious competence has been reached in that new area.


Perfection is not attainable. Excellence is therefore not a destination, but a way of life. It involves succeeding, failing, learning, and evolving. I will also add that excellence, based on this understanding, is undeniably attainable right now, today in your life and mine.



ACTION STEP


  • Find a quite place to sit down, uninterrupted.
  • Reflect on your life using these 6 lenses:
  • Spiritual
  • Relational
  • Financial
  • Emotional
  • Physical
  • Vocational
  • In what area(s) are you frustrated? Could that frustration be a result of unrealistic expectations of perfection?


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