The Quest for Perfection


Somewhere along the way, someone has instilled in us this fear for error and imperfection.

We strive to be perfect in all that we do, so that we will be beyond the reproach of our friends, family and colleagues. And most importantly ourselves.

I made a grave mistake today. I ordered a product for a customer that I beleived had all the features she needed. Turns out it didnt have the one feature she needed the most.

The supplier does not accept returns. So I have to take it back and try to sell it. But its possible I won't be able to. Then it will come straight out of my bottom line.

And everything I tried so hard to acheive the last 2 months will mean nothing.

Am I expecting too much of myself when I expect my work to be mistake-free? Everyone I spoke to said things like, " Human beings make mistakes", and "It happens" and "Let's worry about how to fix it later".

But I feel like I have let myself down. And that I really suck at sales. Just the smallest slip can mean that you don't meet your sales target and can undo all you have done. So there is no room for errors.

The world demands perfection. We want the people who build bridges, erect skyscrapers and fly planes to be perfect in their work. Or people die. So where is the room for, "to err is human"?