“Practice makes perfect.” What a famous phrase. How many times have we all heard this growing up? How many times have we said this to others, meant as words of encouragement, meant to help them not give up on what they are trying to achieve? How many times have we searched for motivation in these three simple but powerful words? Countless times. And yet, how many times have we ended up disappointed when the said perfect escaped our grasp and mocked us from just beyond our fingertips? We practiced so diligently, so hard… then where is this promised perfection as a reward for our efforts? And how ironic is it that we console ourselves with the equally hurtful and soothing “Nobody’s perfect.” Why do we torture ourselves with striving for perfection, when we know it is unachievable?
What if we changed the narrative? What if we didn’t base our motivation on perfection? What if we didn’t put pressure on ourselves to achieve the impossible? What if we stopped glorifying the results and started appreciating the process? The sooner we stop focusing on the goal and start enjoying the progress, the better we will be - not just at the particular skill that we want to improve, but also at motivating ourselves to practice it in the first place. Practicing to become better is much easier than practicing to become perfect.
“Practice makes perfect.” Don’t I wish. How many things would I have already perfected if that was the case? And yet even professionals, experts in specific fields, masters of their craft have to continuously practice their skills. Saying that practice makes perfect sort of implies an end to the practice. Like there is a point at which you are just good enough at a skill that you can stop refining it, stop practicing it; a point where you cannot improve yourself anymore. As if learning is not a journey, a lifelong process. As if skills, once acquired, just stick around forever.
Regardless, results are more uncertain, more temporary, and less satisfying than improvement. You can put a lot of effort towards achieving a goal and it may still not give you the results you want. Or if it does, who is to say that it will bring you long-term happiness? Most likely, you will fondly remember it from time to time when the conversation steers to that topic, but it is hard to imagine it being a constant source of happiness in your life. Improvement, however, is an almost guaranteed side product of practice, one that you become aware of every time you work on refining your skill. And noticing the ease, the level of proficiency with which you are able to do it sparks joy every time you pick up the activity. Rewarding the effort you put into improving is a much more worthwhile investment, if you ask me. Wouldn’t you rather tell yourself, “Wow, I am so much better than when I started.” than “Ugh, still not perfect…”?
Our work is not worth any less just for the fact that we are not perfect. If the sole driver of your motivation to keep practicing and to keep trying is achieving perfection, then all you will ever feel when looking at your results is disappointment and frustration. No matter how hard you try, no matter how much you practice, you will not be satisfied, for you are measuring yourself up against the unattainable. We need to make room for mistakes and imperfection, else we are destroying the room for improvement and progress. So, no. Practice doesn't make perfect. And that's okay. Practice makes improvement.
About the Author
Maja is from Slovenia, and she is a junior at the Department of Architecture in Korea University.