When the EngErotics team initially discussed this idea for a blog topic, it gave me a lot of pause. It’s different from what we typically publish and required me to do a lot of introspection. We all agree that it’s time to let go of things that don’t serve us. That’s the case in any mindfulness practice. Applying that to my professional life is a whole other thing. Most of the time, mindfulness and business don’t go hand-in-hand. (Maybe it should.)
So what am I letting go of? I’m letting go of chasing perfection. I want our products to be perfect, genuinely. I idolize efficiency. I deeply value our professional connections with other humans. But the thing is that everyone’s idea of perfection is different and sometimes what is needed one day is not needed another. Just like in romantic relationships, it’s impossible for your partner to fill your needs perfectly every single time. Relationships with products and people change too as goals and priorities shift. That’s ok and that’s healthy. That doesn’t make that connection any less valuable. Quite the opposite, really. It means that for a time, that connection was ideal and that’s something really special. Hopefully the pieces will click into place again when the time is right. Hopefully that bottle, tube, or toy that found itself abandoned in the back of the drawer will be rediscovered and enjoyed again.
The world changes. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Hopefully it changes for the better, but sometimes it does change for the worse. There’s always a lesson to be learned and experience to be had. Chasing perfection, however, is an exercise in futility. Perfection isn’t a goal, it’s a temporary state. It feels so good when things align perfectly, but it’s not a point of failure when they don’t. It’s a sign of healthy growth and progress. After all, who knows when the next moment of perfection will come?
