Why is “Done” better than “Perfect and Never Completed”?

Italian painter, Elio Carletti, tried to define the essence of beauty through one of his statements. He said – “Beauty is a summation of the parts where nothing is needed to be altered, added, or taken away.” The statement he made is about beauty but if we were to break it down further to understand what Carletti meant we find that he pitches ‘Beautiful’ as an equivalent of the word ‘Perfect’. So, in the context of what Carletti said does it imply that – anything that is ‘perfect’ is beautiful and vice-versa? Perfect is one of those words that we often use too conveniently. Nothing is perfect! Perfection isn’t attainable, yet in the event that we decide to pursue perfect, we can possibly achieve excellence.

Most individuals and companies are in a long and arduous quest for achieving perfection in their trade or craft. It’s simply hard to avoid, and the dream of attaining perfection is fortified regularly in the media, in TV promotions, magazines, conversations and daily papers.

Perfection is a unique thought, an abstract idea, which places a daunting standard on the pedestal for people to meet. The bitter truth remains that this ‘abstract idea’ upgrades every time you are about to achieve it. The idea of trying to improve everything and everywhere at all times has put many men on a path that truly has no finishing-line.

This pursuit of achieving perfection can take its toll. The path to perfection can be painful because its driven by both a desire to achieve when others have failed and also the fear of not being able to make it. That is why it’s important to pursue excellence so that tangible milestones can be achieved. Fussbudgets can be crushed by disappointment; while followers of excellence gain from it.

A very famous quote by Norman Vincent Peale that I can personally relate to is- “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” So is it really okay to be satisfied with 9.5 or 9.8 out of 10? It’s not as simple as it may sound. It’s not that easy for most people. Perfection is like an OCD and it is more of a behavior or mental condition more than anything else.

So when I say ‘Perfect’, is there truly a perfect platform or tool that encompasses everything that is needed by the industry? Well, we all know the answer to that question, don’t we? But does that mean we stop looking for better tools and platforms to get better results for the investment made? Time, Money and Manpower form the most basic investments of any organization. It is important to identify whether its the organization or is it the people who are averse to upgrade? In the world of technology, if we don’t upgrade ourselves, it will be hard to survive let alone scale and thrive. However, It is important to always keep the business goals in mind for an effective ROI.

I always recommend professionals to pursue excellence and understand it’s important to first deliver on the minimal expectations and later work towards improving post-delivering if there’s room for it. Write a code or execute a procedure that is valuable to the customer and does not keep them waiting like, forever. Try not to sit tight for flawlessness. Basically, Be Productive – Be Helpful.

I believe in the principle – “Done” is better than “Perfect and Never Completed” cause you are progressing and moving ahead. What do you think works for you? Leave a comment below…