Striving for perfection.

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I guess it's a common theme but I've always been driven with this desire for self improvement to the point of perfectionism.

However as I approach my late 20's, I feel that even minor improvements are simply out of reach. To a perfectionist this is a hard thing to deal with, how does one do it.

In some ways I am a perfectionist too. Someone once told me don't let the pursuit of perfection become the enemy of very good.

You are approaching your late 20's? I thought you were 83. LOL! :p (look under your screen name)

Let me guess, you're a musician.

There's nothing wrong with being a perfectionist, especially as a musician. No thanks to the recording industry, the public expects perfection every time we perform. Do we get it right every time? No. Does the public forgive us when we blow it? That depends on who your audience is each time you perform.

I deal with it by going for my personal best. As long as I did my best, that's perfect enough for me. It's a waste of time--and therefore "imperfect"--to dwell on what you cannot achieve. Would a theoretical perfect person spend his time dwelling on what cannot be done, or would he move on and do what can be done?

"A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." -Civilization IV (Firaxis Games)

Many people throughout history have looked to what they create, and how they can bring it closer to what they seek.