I am a perfectionist by nature. (Or is it nurture? Maybe both?)
Either way, I don’t like to do things half-assed. I want to dot every “i,” cross every “t,” and leave no stone unturned.
I take pride in being prepared. In doing my very best, every. single. time.
While scrolling social media a couple of days ago, I came across this:
I scrolled past the post because clearly, it wasn’t about me. Seventy percent mediocre? No effing way.
But the idea lingered. Maybe the percentages are off, but the point is well taken: not everything you do will be your best work.
There are only so many hours in the day, and you cannot spend all of them focused on work. Nor should you.
You can’t be perfect all the time. If you try, you’ll drive yourself crazy. Burn out. Drive other people crazy. You won’t get anything done.
Not everything needs to be perfect, either.
Not every email needs your soul poured into it. That draft plan? It’s just a draft. Bang it out and move on. Even decisions don’t need to be perfect. (I wrote about this last week.)
I was watching a Seattle Storm game Friday night when it really hit me. These were elite athletes, and they miss a lot of shots.
In pro women’s basketball, a team shooting above 50% is having a great game. Which means they’re missing almost as many shots as they’re making.
In pro men’s baseball (see what I did there?), a batting average of .270 is good; .300 is elite. They’re getting hits only 30% of the time, and are still considered outstanding.
Of course, work isn’t the same as women’s basketball.
Or perhaps it’s more like it than we think—lots of running back and forth (sometimes without clear direction or focus), dropped balls, and big personalities to deal with. 🤔
Maybe we should treat work more like sports. If you’re knocking it out of the park 30-50% of the time, you’re actually doing great.
The key is discernment—knowing when perfection is the assignment.
Like, if you’re performing open-heart surgery on me? Please be perfect. But the sutures? You don’t need award-winning stitching. Close me up and call it a day.
I can live with scars, but I can’t live without a heart.
Thankfully, most of our work is not life-or-death. It often doesn’t even matter that much, in the grand scheme of things.
So choose your moments—the 10-20% of the time that does require greatness—and rise to the occasion. Be your rockstar self when it counts.
And the rest of the time?
Enjoy your mediocrity in the company of the world’s best athletes, venture capitalists, CEOs, and anyone else who isn’t perfect all of the time.
Spoiler alert: that’s all of us.
Bonus read: Not doing everything perfectly can feel like failure and failure can cause self-doubt. Am I good enough? Do I deserve to be here? Here’s the good news—those imposter syndrome feelings just might be your superpower.
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I’m an expert at mediocrity. Good enough is, so very often, good enough.