• We often encourage youth to strive to be perfect.

• Trying to be perfect can lead to procrastination and even paralysis.

• We should celebrate excellence instead.

Often we encourage youth to strive to be perfect.

We celebrate and give recognition to those who get top marks in exams or win competitions.

Often we appeal to our competitive nature. But celebrating winning or being ‘better’ than others can have negative impacts.

Harriet B. Braiker, was a psychologist and expert on stress management. She said,

“Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.”

Trying to be perfect increases stress levels. It can lead to procrastination and even paralysis.

We should celebrate excellence instead.

Success is based on taking the right action and getting the feedback to improve. It is not about always getting everything right.

Excellence focuses your attention on what’s right and working well, not on what is not working.

PURSUING EXCELLENCE:

When we pursue excellence we:

• enjoy meeting attainable high standards;

• persist when we run into difficulties and challenges;

• learn from and correct our mistakes;

• learn from failure;

• can live with not being the best, especially when we know we have tried to do our best;

• see feedback and criticism as a way to learn;

• can finish second and still feel good about ourselves, and

• value who we are.

PURSUING PERFECTION:

When we pursue perfection, we:

• strive to attain impossible goals;

• value ourselves by what we do;

• get overwhelmed and often give up when we run into difficulties;

• can be devastated by failure;

• remember and dwell upon mistakes;

• want to be number one;

• hate feedback and criticism, and

• have to win to keep high self-esteem.

The topic of excellence versus perfectionism is one we can discuss in our youth groups.

This is a powerful lesson that will assist them when they move into adulthood.

Please share your ideas on how we can assist our youth to learn the difference between excellence and perfection.