The term 'practice makes perfect' is an old saying that has been ingrained in people and various teams throughout history. However, is it the pursuit of perfection or simply the pursuit of continuous improvement? Is the saying merely a trick to pursue something that will never be attainable? Because, what is perfection? And who determines that said perfection?

I was watching my son practice his "ninja skills" earlier today. He was using a long stick as a staff, rotating it around, jumping off ledges, and balancing on obstacles. While he was practicing, he reiterated what he was doing and how he was doing it to become the best ninja. It raised the question to me about what the pursuit of perfection is. We constantly look at perfection as a hierarchical metric, the pinnacle of any objective, skill, or task. But what is perfection, and who is the judge of it?

What I found most interesting was that my son was consciously pursuing improvement, regardless of a known outcome or objective. Instinctively, he was looking to improve his skills to become someone or something he had seen on a program, in real life, or witnessed through a friend. I think this teaches us a lesson on how important it is at times to simply pursue anything that we feel an instinctive connection to and try to improve in any realm of that endeavour that may contribute to its improvement and subsequent attainment of objectives.

It's easy to say that in order to attain perfection or even success in any chosen endeavour, we need a firm objective and set goal plan. In many cases, that is right and the best course of action. However, sometimes you just need to start anywhere and try anything purely because you believe it fundamentally resonates with something inside yourself, or something you may wish to become.

Practice doesn't necessarily make perfect, but the pursuit of perfection through endless practice certainly provides a strong, admirable path in the search for happiness. If we can consciously choose to allow the pursuit of any endeavour and the practice of any skill to absorb us when our mind takes interest, then we can be in a great position to succeed in the search for happiness. By embracing the pursuit of continuous improvement, rather than fixating on an unattainable idea of perfection, we open ourselves up to growth, fulfillment, and genuine happiness in our endeavours.

Thanks,

Dean