There's Only One Thing Wrong With You

I remember several years ago when a co-worker told me, “You know . . . there’s only one thing wrong with you.  You’re too perfect!”  You might think that if someone said you were “perfect” that it would be a compliment.  It wasn’t.  It was constructive criticism.  But I wasn’t offended because the kind manner in which the statement was delivered left me wanting to hear the rest of the story.

“I thought most people would want a co-worker that did accurate work,” I replied.

“Yes, that’s true – most of the time,” my friend answered.  “You do want to work with someone who does good work.  But in some cases you don’t always have to be 100% accurate.  Some projects you work on only require 99.9% or even 95% accuracy.  It can hold you back, and slow you down if you aim for perfection in every project you do.  You should save your energy for the jobs that do require complete accuracy.” 

I thought about her answer.  It actually was the best work-related constructive criticism that I ever received and I took it to heart.  It saved hours of frustration over the years and freed me to do my best on the projects that required it.

Striving for complete perfection in everything you do can slow you down and hold you back from your best work.  There were days, when I was writing A Rose for Sergei, that I would stop and remember my friend’s advice.  If I got stuck on when to end a chapter, or wasn’t sure what to leave in or cut out of the book, I reminded myself that it didn’t have to be re-written five times.  I wrote freely, two re-writes would suffice, and my story was told.   

Inspiration can come in many forms, even in criticism, which can redirect you.