So you call
yourself a perfectionist? If so, beware -- you're going to fail.
However, while
you'll never achieve perfection, you can achieve excellence --
even with your flaws.
When a person
excels at something, we overlook their weaknesses. Watch Shaq
and you'll see a totally imperfect basketball player. Shaq can't
shoot a free throw to save his life. However, his strengths more
than make up for this deficiency. He's unstoppable underneath
the basket and his scoring is always in the stratosphere. Even
with his imperfection, he's considered one of the greatest players
in the game. Look at other great people and you will find all
sorts of flaws. They succeed in spite of them.
You may not
have the looks and abilities you'd like. Still, you have other
qualities and talents that will enable you to achieve greatness.
Your imperfections are like the holes in Swiss cheese. We enjoy
the cheese and don't worry about the holes.
So forget
about perfection and instead focus on developing your strengths.
Doing this will more than make up for your flaws and launch you
towards success.
For tips on
how to set yourself up for success, check out the Jump
Start Leadership Workbooks or The
7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens.