Easy Does It

The other day I got the worst paper cut I’ve had. Ever. It was completely my fault. I was careless in the hazardous task of photocopying. There it was, a large stack of statistics (sorry my tree-loving friends). I just needed to take it from point A: the photocopier, to point B: the box to carry the finished product up to the press box.

I bit off more than I could chew. Underestimated the power of a stack of paper. I grabbed them; they slipped. That terrible feeling of flesh separating itself. I bled. Right down the tip of my middle finger so even now, as I type, I’m reminded by the sting.

I should have just taken a manageable stack. A few manageable stacks and the job would have been done, paper cut-free. Sometimes ambition can be our greatest friend and sometimes, our sorest enemy. Everything in moderation, right? I had too much.

I was reminded of this today as I spoke with my friend at work. She cited a phrase that more of us would do well to adhere to: done is better than perfect. I believe this was coined or certainly used by Facebook. I don’t know but I’d say their business model has turned out pretty well.

But perfect is that ever elusive place we pine for, don’t we? It’s why dieting, exercising, yogaing, makeuping and plastic surgerying are so popular these days. The definition of perfection may change from generation to generation but the pursuit of it does not. 

The pursuit continues because reaching it just can’t happen. Not here. Not now. We can mirror perfection, get close—so close we can taste it but there’s always something more, better, different…

So we adjust our standards. I’m not saying we give up, give in and stop giving a darn. Just realize the picket fence that never peels, the waistline that always appeals and the perfect spouse who’s even keel—those things don’t exist every day. Enjoy the moments they do. Don’t fret the moments they don’t. And just do your best. Done, after all, is better than perfect.