Perfection

It's hard to call yourself a perfectionist. As a child, it seems like something we should all be. Then as we grow up, people say "no, you don't want to be a perfectionist," or "oh, you're like that." People begin to hint at how perfectionists never get anything done and can't get out of their own way. But is this true?

Perfection is an endeavor that some chose to pursue, feeling like there is an end to this search. It can mean obsession, complete consumption with the idea of making something perfect. This leads to the "it's never done," mentality, which leads to constant refinement and alterations. While revision is permissible and part of the design process, being able to accept something as having reached its finishing point is different.
A professional painter of cars, props and models once said to me, "I'm not perfect, and I don't want to be. I just want my work to be amazing and I want to always be able to progress in my craft." In this, there is a humbleness that exists. Through this calmed approach to doing good work, this painter was perfect, when viewed from outside eyes. In his own eyes, he was doing the best he knew how to do, always wishing to do better.

To me, the achievement of perfection in a particular skill or focus in life isn't do to everything perfectly, or even right at all. It is a state of flow; of zen. Being able to do an engine swap on a car in a weekend isn't something that can be done by perfectionists, but to outsiders it seems like something that needs to be done perfectly. It takes a mental state of movement where things go together as a result of skill, preparation, and the right state of mind. The same goes for a major work of art, writing, or circuitry which others come to accept as "perfect" - the creator may know its flaws, but is not bothered by them, as there is a bliss to the ease in which they have executed their job. Not because they're perfect, but because they're good.