Mastery Over Perfection, Perfection's Myth, & The Relentless Pursuit
Wednesday Wisdom for May 22, 2024
Welcome to Wednesday Wisdom, our 3x3 Newsletter where I distill worldly advice for better living with 3 quotes, 3 observations, and 3 questions.
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Catch up on this week’s theme of perfection:
Mastery Over Perfection
🤨 Quote
“The feeling of being subject to fate chastens the conceit of mastery.”
Matthew Crawford
Source: Shop Class as Soulcraft
Observation 🧐
There is a stark difference between perfection and mastery. Perfection is the definition of an end point, it is what someone who has attained mastery searches to achieve.
But mastery itself is illusive for most because the majority of people do not, or cannot, put in the work and dedication to achieve such a level. Someone who attains mastery comes to an understanding of their subject matter. They understand the underlying structures, the rules that are there and the why, the themes and commonalities amongst problems.
From an outsider looking in, it often looks as though there are no rules, there is no structure. But when one begins to study, they begin to see the hidden structures that build mastery, that help make the pursuits what they are.
The screenwriter Aaron Sorkin once said rules are what make art beautiful, art without rules is just finger painting. Likewise, all mastery pursuits must look for the rules and not the finger painting.
A master knows their target, they know what it takes to hit that target, but they also know they cannot control all aspects of it.
As the Stoics believed, if an expert archer were to attempt to hit the bullseye of a target, once the archer releases his arrow, he has relinquished control.
When the arrow leaves the bow, there is nothing further the archer can do to try and hit the target. It is the lead up, the training, the structure that goes on ahead of time that makes the difference in whether or not the arrow has a chance of hitting its target.
Mastery is not about achieving perfection, it is about giving the individual a chance at success through their training.
The training, the mastery, is within one’s control, the success is not.
🤔 Question
Think of something you currently want to achieve mastery in. What do masters in the field do, or what did they do, to achieve their mastery? If you’re not doing it, why and what would it take to start implementing it into your learning?
Perfection’s Myth
🤨 Quote
“We get sucked into perfection for one very simple reason: We believe perfection will protect us.”
Brené Brown
Source: Awakin.org
Observation 🧐
Perhaps it is from childhood trauma, perhaps it was from a feeling of lack of control, or maybe just from pure egotism, but at some point, many who develop a complex around perfectionism have it rooted within a need to protect the self from future pain.
Brown notes that perfectionism is like a giant shield we carry around in an attempt to both protect us from harm as well as hide our insecurities and fears. When we hold perfectionist beliefs, it is because we believe “we can minimize or avoid the pain of blame, judgment, and shame.”
But perfection is not the same thing as growth. Sometimes the two get conflated, people assuming perfection leads to growth. But in fact, it is this belief that can actually hinder one from growing.
We can, and should, strive to do the best we can in our pursuits. We can hold onto “perfection” as the gold standard, but only so long as we do not hold ourselves to it at all costs. Perfection is more like an idealized state that can never be achieved. Perfection is, in essence, more in alignment with Plato’s Theory of Forms—an abstract idea of something’s existence. It is about the idea of perfection in our pursuit, not the actual attainment of it.
As we said in our Monday Meditations, perfection does not exist, only better does.
As Brown advises, in order to break the perfectionist’s spell, we should lean into the virtue of courage, transforming our fears from worrying about what others will think and transforming it into a statement of compassion akin to “I am good enough.”
Self-compassion isn’t easy, but it is a road paved with rewards once one can learn to accept it.
🤔 Question
What is one tactic you have used to show compassion to yourself? If you don’t continually provide yourself compassion, what is holding you back?
What the cupcake?! A paywall?! Yes, it’s true—behind this deliciously secretive paywall, we've got a treat sweeter than frosting! This week’s final Wednesday Wisdom features Disney's CEO Robert Iger, dishing out his recipe on the relentless pursuit of perfection.
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