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The pursuit of perfection can seem like an endless battle, but when reframed, it becomes the fuel for greatness. True perfection is unattainable, but chasing it sets the stage for growth, innovation, and resilience. Whether you’re someone who thrives on striving for excellence or wrestles with the fear of failure, the key lies in redefining what perfection means to you.

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Chase Perfection, Catch Excellence – Life Stories 153

Today’s session is about something many people struggle with—the drive to achieve perfection and the mental gymnastics that come along with it. Before we begin, let’s center ourselves with a short visualization exercise.

Why We Chase Perfection

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.” That’s a quote from Vince Lombardi, one of the greatest coaches in NFL history. But here’s the truth: no matter how hard you work, no matter what you achieve, you will never reach true perfection. Why? Because perfection, by definition, means being flawless, without any room for improvement. It’s an ever-moving target—subjective and impossible to fully attain.

But here’s the twist: the pursuit of perfection is where greatness lies. Chasing perfection means setting the highest standards for yourself, striving to grow, and constantly pushing the limits of what you believe you can achieve. It’s not about actually being perfect; it’s about what you become while striving for it.

The Perfectionist’s Spectrum

So, should you pursue perfection? It depends on your mindset. People typically fall somewhere on the spectrum between two types of perfectionism:

Excellence-Seeking Perfectionists: These individuals demand high standards from themselves and others. They thrive on pushing themselves, embracing the journey, and learning from each step. When preparing for a presentation, for instance, they’ll learn about everyone in the room, plan out every response, and even anticipate the unexpected.
Failure-Avoidant Perfectionists: Unlike their excellence-seeking counterparts, failure-avoidant perfectionists are motivated by fear. They obsess over not failing rather than pursuing greatness. They struggle to start, overthink every move, and never feel satisfied because they’re always focused on the worst possible outcomes. They measure their self-worth by their performance and view any slip-up as a complete personal failure.

Where do you see yourself on this spectrum? It’s critical to know because it’ll determine how you set your goals and how you handle setbacks.

Why the Pursuit Matters More Than the Goal

We’ve all been told not to chase perfection because it adds unnecessary stress, right? And for some people, that’s true. But there’s a whole other side of this story that doesn’t get much attention. For many, the problem isn’t the pressure of perfection—it’s a lack of pressure, a lack of ambition, a lack of belief in their own capabilities.

When we tell people to focus only on progress, it can come off as if we’re lowering the bar, as if we don’t think they’re capable of doing great things. The real issue is when people confuse chasing perfection with being afraid to fail. We say, don’t avoid perfection—embrace it as a motivator, but redefine what it means.

Redefining Perfection: Focus on the Journey

If your idea of perfection is a flawless, one-and-done accomplishment, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Instead, think of perfection as the process—the series of small, deliberate actions you take every day to improve. The excellence-seekers know that striving for the

best is a journey filled with many, many finish lines.

Imagine climbing a staircase. Each step is a milestone—an accomplishment in itself. By viewing your pursuit of perfection as a series of small successes rather than one massive leap, you start catching “excellence” along the way.

Shifting from Fear to Freedom

For those stuck in the failure-avoidant category, it’s time to reframe your thinking. Fear of failure is what holds you back, not the goal itself. Instead of focusing on how disastrous it would be to fall short, ask yourself: What can I learn from this? How will this experience shape me for the better?

In The Last Dance documentary, Michael Jordan’s teammates spoke about how much pressure he put on them—but they also talked about how that pressure made them believe in themselves. He expected the best because he believed they could deliver. That’s the difference: Jordan wasn’t afraid of failure. He was too focused on perfection as a process to even consider it.

How to Chase Perfection without Losing Yourself

Define Your Own Version of Perfection: Stop chasing someone else’s idea of success. Create your own benchmarks based on your capabilities and ambitions.
Focus on Small Wins: Don’t aim to change the world in a day. Set small, achievable goals that you can tackle one by one. Build momentum.
Let Go of Fear: Easier said than done, right? But if you focus on the lessons rather than the losses, you’ll start to see failure as a stepping stone to success, not the end of the road.
Recognize When It’s Good Enough: Excellence-seekers can recognize when something is done well. Train yourself to know when to let go, knowing that there will always be a chance to improve later.
Enjoy the Process: Remember, life isn’t a race to one single finish line. It’s a series of hills and valleys, and you get to choose how to run them.

In Conclusion

So, should you chase perfection? Absolutely—if you’re chasing it the right way. Pursue the process, not the result. Get up every day and push a little further. You may never reach “perfect,” but if you chase it relentlessly, you’ll look back and realize you’ve caught excellence.

Now go out there and aim high. We’ll be right here, cheering you on every step of the way!

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