The pursuit of perfection is not always a virtue

Cooking is one of my favorite hobbies. Once, my friends and I decided to have a little cooking competition. That meant that each month one of us invited the others to a spectacular dinner to find out who was the best cook among us (of course, it had to be a lavishly arranged three-course meal). I selected the most promising dishes I could think of and planned the dinner right down to the last detail. I left nothing to chance. When it was my turn, my friends were thrilled with my cooking skills.

I was not, of course.

The soup was too spicy, the fish too fatty, the risotto too cold. And my timing was too badly organized. Even though my friends told me how “delicious” the dishes tasted and how “creative” the menu was, I was convinced that I could have done it better. I was sure that if I had tried hard enough, I would have hosted a perfect dinner. Once more I became aware of my obsessive pursuit of perfection, no matter which area of living is concerned.

The pursuit of perfection is not always a virtue. It doesn't necessarily stimulate you to perform better, but it puts pressure on you, pressure that stops you from being satisfied with yourself. It isn't always the decisive factor to bring something to perfection. Not everything will be perfect. Not everything has to be perfect. Sometimes the more valuable lesson is that no matter which degree of perfection you accomplish, it is your goodwill that matters most.

But can I really believe that?