Okay, so I’ve been messing around with this idea of “perfect,” right? Like, what does it even mean to achieve something perfectly? I started thinking about this all day, and I just had to try and make something, anything, “perfect perfect perfect.”
My Little Experiment
I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen – super basic, I know. My goal? Draw a perfect circle. Freehand. No compass, no tracing, just me, the pen, and my shaky hand.
First try? Total fail. Looked more like a squashed potato than a circle. I ripped the paper, a bit dramatic, maybe, but I was committed.
- Second try: Still wonky. Too elongated.
- Third try: Better, but had a weird flat spot on one side.
- Fourth, fifth, sixth… lost count, honestly. Each one had something off.
I kept going, filling page after page with these almost-circles. My hand started to cramp, and I was getting seriously frustrated. “Perfect” felt impossible.
The “Aha!” Moment (Sort Of)
Then, I stopped. I looked at all the circles, the “imperfect” ones. And you know what? They were kind of… interesting. Each one had its own unique character, its own little quirks. They weren’t perfect circles, but they were my circles. They showed my effort, my struggle, my progress.
I realized I was chasing something that didn’t really exist, at least not in the way I was thinking. This whole “perfect perfect perfect” thing was about the process, not just the end result.
I was trying to achieve my expectation to draw a perfect circle, that is not possible without any tools, but I got my efforts valued.
So, I didn’t end up with a flawless circle. But I did learn something. Maybe “perfect” isn’t about being flawless. Maybe it’s about trying, failing, learning, and trying again. And maybe, just maybe, that’s a lot more interesting anyway.
