I’ve spent most of my early life trying to be perfect, and much of my later life trying to learn how to not try to be perfect – and I’ve had my myriad of reasons for learning to “aim so low.” And then I read Seth Godin’s post “Perfect vs. interesting” and my reasons for walking away from perfection exponentially increased.
In his blog Seth shares how when a company (or person) is always trying to be perfect, then they’re expected to be perfect. And when they slip or miss a mark, everyone around them is annoyed. However, when a company (or person) tries to be interesting, they’re not expected to be interesting all the time. It’s somehow understood that it might take a few flops or missteps in order to really shine at times.
This echoed for me – and I thought of the friends, colleagues, and clients I have who are perfect (or trying to be so) versus the ones who are interesting. In complete honesty, I may have claimed to value perfection all my life, but it’s the interesting ones whom I am most drawn to and most eager to connect with and support. They’re the ones who make me laugh, who stimulate my thinking, and who make the world a more…interesting place.
So, how do we be interesting? Well, for starters I think we give up trying to be perfect and instead we focus on being curious and adventurous, and wondering “what if” (and “what if not.”). We open our eyes and ourselves to new outlooks and challenges and are willing, and even eager, to take a risk and try something, even if we potentially fall on our faces. We bring our full selves to everything we do, and do our best to do our best and enjoy ourselves along the way. That’s what I think is interesting, and that’s what I want to try and do. How about you? I would like to invite you to visit my Q&A on LinkedIn and add your thoughts.
