[img]541|left|||no_popup[/img] To be or not to be a perfectionist. I ask myself this question at least a few times each day.
I excel at getting things done. During my corporate career, speed, efficiency and my personal 90/10 rule (meaning I got 90 percent of the job done in 10 percent of the time it would take to complete 100 percent of the project) were the attributes that I thought were the reason behind my high salary. I was incorrect.
While I didn’t exactly think perfection was a dirty word, I did see perfectionists as those who would walk amongst a litter of incomplete lists and tasks. I loved the idea, but not the commitment to constant excellence and frustration of needing to slow down. Instead of stopping to smell the roses, I would be more apt to grab a bouquet on my way out the door and bury my nose in the beauty at a stoplight.
I write the above in the past tense. I have not completely changed, but I also recognize the value of working to create a perfect state enough to at times commit to the effort. Each time I do, I am surprised by the result; the world seems to shimmer with my afterglow.
Each day I now work to recognize when it is appropriate to seek perfection and when it is time to cut myself some slack and get a job done. Either way, however, I finish what I start. It is this value – the ability to bring a project to completion – which I brought to my past employers. Now, I apply it to my own endeavors.
Ms. Dewberry, an accomplished cellist, completed her DMA in Chamber Music Performance from UCLA in December 2005. She received her MM in Cello Performance from UCLA in June 2002 and her B.M. in Cello Performance from Western Michigan University in April 1998. She also holds a B.A. in French with a minor in Women's Studies and Philosophy.
Her website is www.carterdewberry.com
She may be contacted at carter@carterdewberry.com
