Today the site I was impressed with is called On Simplicity http://www.onsimplicity.net/. Take time and explore this site for great inspiration. I chose her Persistance blog to share with you as it help me with the difference between the two and it is okay to be persistant. I also included her two comment from readers which to me also had great insight. Enjoy!Persistence: A Reasonable Stand-in for Perfectionism
Perfectionism is like an unreliable friend. Sometimes this friend gets us in with the right crowd to all the right places. At other times, perfectionism makes us feel lonely and tired, like we’re not good enough. Some people even have abusive relationships with perfectionism. When too much time spent with this demanding friend has you feeling crazy, turn to a different pal: persistence.
Perfectionism is almost impossible maintain. It takes a ton of time and energy to even attempt to be perfect. And if you’re anything like me, even the most sincere attempts to be perfect ending up falling quite short of that mark. This means that you have two options when you shoot for a perfect 10: complete success or total failure. There’s no room for gray, which is where most of life actually exists.
Take blogging as an example. Some posts might actually be perfect. Others are bound to have the occasional typo. Others are simply not as well received as you might have hoped or planned. If you only count perfection as a success, then most of your efforts are doomed to failure. Does that mean that you should never try?
Defining Success in Shades of Gray
I’d answer that with an affirmative “no.” Instead of aiming for perfection, focus on persistence. Persistence is about continuing to try your best even when perfection is not an option. It means letting go of trying to live up to external standards and embracing your own. Persistence is where real growth and learning occurs.
I would also argue that persistence is one of the key ways you earn respect. After all, even absolute perfection can be a fluke accident, but persistence takes guts, patience, and a willingness to learn. The next time you’re troubled by your lack of perfection, look deeper inside and realize that there’s a stronger force you can call to your aid: the quiet power of persistence.
Perfectionism is like an unreliable friend. Sometimes this friend gets us in with the right crowd to all the right places. At other times, perfectionism makes us feel lonely and tired, like we’re not good enough. Some people even have abusive relationships with perfectionism. When too much time spent with this demanding friend has you feeling crazy, turn to a different pal: persistence.
Perfectionism is almost impossible maintain. It takes a ton of time and energy to even attempt to be perfect. And if you’re anything like me, even the most sincere attempts to be perfect ending up falling quite short of that mark. This means that you have two options when you shoot for a perfect 10: complete success or total failure. There’s no room for gray, which is where most of life actually exists.
Take blogging as an example. Some posts might actually be perfect. Others are bound to have the occasional typo. Others are simply not as well received as you might have hoped or planned. If you only count perfection as a success, then most of your efforts are doomed to failure. Does that mean that you should never try?
Defining Success in Shades of Gray
I’d answer that with an affirmative “no.” Instead of aiming for perfection, focus on persistence. Persistence is about continuing to try your best even when perfection is not an option. It means letting go of trying to live up to external standards and embracing your own. Persistence is where real growth and learning occurs.
I would also argue that persistence is one of the key ways you earn respect. After all, even absolute perfection can be a fluke accident, but persistence takes guts, patience, and a willingness to learn. The next time you’re troubled by your lack of perfection, look deeper inside and realize that there’s a stronger force you can call to your aid: the quiet power of persistence.
Comments:
Emily Says: June 12th, 2008 at 6:21 am
I love this! I am far from perfect but definitely persistent. You are right, it’s more respectable to see someone trying hard than trying to appear perfect. As for blogging, I don’t think any blogger is perfect. We all have off days, days we just don’t feel inspired, days that are sillier than others, days that are more informative than others, etc…sticking with it and keeping it fun and keeping it true to who we are as individuals is what I’d like to think helps gain readership. Even my most favorite blogs don’t always write about things I am interested in or find fascinating. It’s what the blog and blogger are on a whole that keep me coming back for more.
Emily Says: June 12th, 2008 at 6:21 am
I love this! I am far from perfect but definitely persistent. You are right, it’s more respectable to see someone trying hard than trying to appear perfect. As for blogging, I don’t think any blogger is perfect. We all have off days, days we just don’t feel inspired, days that are sillier than others, days that are more informative than others, etc…sticking with it and keeping it fun and keeping it true to who we are as individuals is what I’d like to think helps gain readership. Even my most favorite blogs don’t always write about things I am interested in or find fascinating. It’s what the blog and blogger are on a whole that keep me coming back for more.
Marelisa Says: June 12th, 2008 at 8:16 am
I guess persistence is about the process, wheras perfectionism is about the destination. Like saying: “I’m going to be there everyday doing the best that I can”. What a great distinction Sara!
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