When we say “perfect!” it has such a good feeling attached to it. There are phrases that evoke an emotion inside of us. Saying “it’s sunny today” on a cold winter morning is another one. I now hear others, younger than I, answer with “perfect” when discussing something with them every now and then.
To be a perfectionist implies that you want to always create “perfect”. Yet to be a perfectionist is a weakness. It’s frowned upon when you mindlessly obsess over every little detail of a project.
What is perfect? Is it “that” what we expect? Or is it the delight of the unexpected? Is it something that works flawlessly? Or is it a solution that simply eliminates a problem? Is it something that meets our expectations? Or is it something that meets everyone’s expectations? Is perfect measured by convenience? Or is it measured by longevity? Is perfect measured by affordability? Or by design? If something is perfect today, does that hold true tomorrow?
Perfect is such an illusive endpoint when you consider that your answers to the above questions are very personal. They depend on your interest, situation, needs, and expectations. Assessing perfect really depends on the person judging.
Perfection, in and of itself, never resides in the thing you are judging. It really is not a measure of quality but rather a measure of solution/situation fit. How what you are judging fits into the world around it. A world where you play a major role. A world where situations involve you. A world that is transient where your needs most likely will change over time.
So perfection is perishable. It may appear for an instant and be gone. What is perfect, in your eyes, may be imperfect to others.
Perfect is simply a perception that is not worth aspiring to. There are just too many variables that have to align for a thing or solution to be viewed as perfect both by yourself and by many.
Possible, viable, interesting, and reasonable are much better goals to seek than perfect. These options remind each of us that our work is important but never finished as our lives continue to evolve through our many days.