Perfect is the Enemy of Good
what is stopping you from moving forward?
"There’s no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one."
— Jill Churchill
My friend George once told me that perfection is the enemy of good.
Meaning, we'd rather do nothing than do something imperfectly.
Perfection masquerades as a virtue but it's a handbrake on creativity and problem-solving.
Think about how much perfection has stopped progress:
How many ideas for paintings were never brought to life?
How many songs were never composed?
How many books were never written?
But what if we created for the sake of it — without fearing imperfection?
After all, everything is imperfect.
I've edited for days and never reached perfect.
There is no perfect. Only beautiful. Only useful. Only real.
What if we simply created and output good things into the world? Imagine how many more songs, art and innovation there would be if we were more willing to output something that is 'imperfect'?
There is no perfect way to do something, but there are a million good ways!
And all you have to do is find just ONE of those good ways.
The Three Students and the River
an original story by Eren Elsewhere
The spiritual teacher took three of his disciples down to a river.
"Cross the river" he said.
The first student, having studied structures, decided a bridge was the best solution. "It will take six months to cross" he told his master.
The second student, skilled in naval architecture, decided a boat was best. "It will take four months to cross."
The third student walked to the edge of the river. He found a stick, stepped in and felt the current. The water reached his knees. It was fast, but not impassable.
He wrapped some rope around a nearby tree and crossed — slowly, carefully, but completely.
The other two remained, still planning.
He crossed. And that was enough.
We've all been there — planning bridges and boats when a rope would do.
Waiting for perfect and missing what's already possible.
Meanwhile, the person who just gets started — bootleg workaround and all — is first across.
Rogerio's Rule
Earlier this year, I was working on an engineering site.
A problem had come up. Every was stuck in debate — meetings, discussions, revisions and more meetings. Everyone wanted the best solution.
I was sitting with Rogerio — an engineer in his 70s. He was quiet. Calm. Watching.
He said to me:
"There's a million ways to do anything. But if it works, it's a good solution."
And that stuck with me. The force of the simplicity.
While others discussed the optimal fix to lower costs, our hourly rates made the delay more expensive than the fix.
Rog wasn't chasing the most perfect or elegant solution — just one that worked.
Useful. Working. Done.
That's what perfection blinds us to.
Forget Perfect. Find Good.
You don't need to paralyse yourself any longer.
There is no perfect.
But there are a million good ways.
To build. To love. To care. To create.
All you need to do is fine one.
Sincerely,
eren
Music of the week
Bit more dance music this week — it’s dance with a wonky/industrial/rock feel to it.