I strongly feel that perfection is the enemy of creativity. If you don’t ever give yourself permission to be less than perfect, how the hell do you ever get to explore your ideas and take risks? On the other hand, that drive can really take you far. The only problem is that you may never feel a sense of accomplishment or satisfaction if you fall short of that flawless performance. As a mother, I always tell my children that the important aspects of any task are giving it their best, and enjoying every moment of what they do.

So, for this (tardy) Friday Philosophy, I’m sharing some quotes on perfectionism.

“I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won’t have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren’t even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they’re doing it.” ~ Anne Lamott

“If I look perfect, and do everything perfectly, I can avoid or minimize the painful feelings of shame, judgment, and blame.” ~ Brene Brown

“Gold cannot be pure, and people cannot be perfect.” ~ Chinese Proverb

“Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.” ~ Salvador Dali

“If there was nothing wrong in this world there wouldn’t be anything for us to do.” ~ George Bernard Shaw

“I may not be perfect, but parts of me are excellent.” ~ Ashleigh Brilliant