Why I am No Longer a Perfectionist
There is something more important than always being perfect.
I have a friend back in college. She’s very reckless, probably the most reckless person I’ve ever know. Everytime she comes to me to squawk about something, or ask a solution for her problems, which is most of them because she messed up, I always wonder how can she be so careless and make mistake that often? Reason why I wonder is that she always messed up big things like entered job registration file incorrectly, often mistaken in her work helping her lecturer, and even input her thesis data incorrectly. It was all big things, right? Even if all that are not fatal mistake but I’m sure I will be so panic if I were her.
Well, but she doesn’t. I mean not as panic as I am even if she’s often complain about every mistakes she made. The thing is, not only I’m aware that she’s very sloppy, but in the end of the day, I know she is one of many people I admire because of the way she deal with problems. That is the thing I realize quite lately. The thing that make me realize something else about myself.
When she is making mistake everywhere along her way, here I am always doing things nicely. If I put in the right words, I’m very good at avoiding problems, even if the small ones.
I remember back in college when my class had an assignment from our math teacher. Honestly I’m not sure we were attending math class but I remember the assignment is about math formula which I don’t quite understand.
So, I completed the task with three long pieces of paper full of numbers, formulas, and very neat handwriting like I’m a great mathematician of all time. Ok, that’s too much. Imagine like I’m the only one in class who get the task done, which turns out to be true. In the morning, girls were just copying my task or completing theirs by looking at mine. Seriously, I didn’t brag about it. But that was not a perfect task. I didn’t even remember I put the right formula, but It’s just look perfect, and I like it very much. All I want is to finish those task and give it to the teacher.
So, you’re right. I’m not a perfectionist, but I always want everything to be perfect, which make me a perfectionist, in a way.
See, I spent sixteen years in school without any pauses and everything went really smooth. I graduated from every school level with an outstanding marks. Well, at least to me. I mean I’m not really disappointed with my achievements.
So, time passes and things change. I did realize in the middle that I can’t always live like that. I can’t always do everything with hope things gonna go perfectly, because why? Because there is something more important than always being perfect. It’s our ability to fix things.
Most reckless person tend to be most flexible and most welcome with any problems, and solutions. They can always find a way to be ok, or to make everything ok.
I’m not just seeing one, but honestly, I have so many reckless friends who I’m really jealous of more than I’m jealous with any other people. I love the way they think, I love the way they embrace their mistakes, and make something out of it. It was priceless thing, really. If I am given one definitely granted wish, I want to be a great problem solver.
Not only they are solutive, but they get new lesson everytime mistakes made, which I believe not everyone can understand. To be a problem solver, I think, a person should have problems, and get through it. We can’t just see a motivating person, and be like them in one day. We can’t listen to any motivator, and be great in a blink of an eye.
Fixing things in life is a subtle art, yet the hardest because that’s define how you’re gonna live.
I’m in my twenties and now looking back. I don’t want to be perfect all the time. I want to have problems. I want to fully understand that mistakes is our way to grow up and live wisely in the future.
So guys, before you become the most perfect version of yourself, go make more mistakes, have problems, learn something new from there, and make something great out of it.
