“We don’t abandon our pursuits because we despair of ever perfecting them.”
EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 1.2.37b
The title of today’s chapter in The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday is “Perfection is the Enemy of Action”, and I really like that. Waiting for perfection is what blocks us from getting started on the work we need to do, and sometimes we even use it as an excuse to avoid getting started. So we must intentionally not strive for perfection, and not wait for the right conditions before taking action — in order to steer clear of that trap.
Perfectionism is actually a form of extreme thinking. Holiday highlights that it’s often associated with depression and other damaging effects on our mental well-being. We sometimes jokingly say “Oh, I’m a perfectionist!”, often followed by a knowing chuckle — but it’s not really a laughing matter. It’s serious and we have to be honest about that.
Why is perfectionism so dangerous? Because it doesn’t lead to perfection at all; it leads to disappointment. And that’s by definition. Nothing can ever be perfect, so we’re always falling short, always feeling frustrated. That’s a recipe for psychological disaster.
Further, even though we shouldn’t wait for the right conditions, that’s exactly what perfectionism encourages us to do. We end up stalling, and never getting started. We stagnate while waiting for the perfect situation to arise.
Pragmatism doesn’t have this problem. It just wants to get things done, and move forward. By its nature, pragmatism is imperfect. And that’s ok. It embraces the imperfection. Things get done, you make progress, and your psyche thanks you.
We have to be ok with not aiming for perfection, and instead aiming for imperfect, pragmatic action. Anything else will leave us feeling frustrated and sad.
