Let’s clear something up: perfection is a myth, but perfectionism is very real—and often wildly unhelpful.
Perfection seems like the noble pursuit of doing things well. But perfectionism is its over-caffeinated cousin, obsessively scanning for flaws, usually in ourselves, sometimes in others, and always in hindsight. It’s not about doing things well—it’s about trying to be above reproach. That’s not excellence; that’s anxiety in a blazer.
Now, contrast this with precision, which is grounded, alert, and incredibly human. Precision is not about getting everything right—it’s about being fully present and intentional in the moment you’re acting. A person who values precision focuses on cohesion, clarity, and consistency in real time. They’re not trying to impress the future; they’re engaged in the now.
As a musician, I learned this lesson early. When practicing a difficult passage, I didn’t play it fast—I played it slowly. I’d land each note with exacting attack and careful intonation. Speed was a distant second to control and clarity. My goal wasn’t to impress with flash, but to embody the phrase, note by note. Precision required restraint, patience, and presence.
It’s the same in life and work: anyone can rush to the end of a task, but it takes discipline to inhabit each part of it with care. Precision doesn’t just polish the output—it refines the practitioner.
Here’s a practical marker: when someone points out a mistake to a perfectionist, they spiral or defend. When someone points out a mistake to a person grounded in precision, they zoom in with curiosity.
Instead of leaping to a conclusion—again—they ask, “What did I actually do there?” They investigate, not ruminate. That pause, that willingness to look with clarity instead of judgment, is the correction. It’s not about being error-free—it’s about being error-aware without becoming error-obsessed.
And yes, it’s a subtle art. But in a world that overvalues flawless outcomes, there’s something quietly radical about being deeply, precisely present.
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