Many people struggle with the urge to be perfect in some way. It could be related to a sport, career, or even an area like parenting in which the performance does not get measured in the traditional sense. The urge for perfection is as common as the inability to attain it and Success magazine says that people caught in this limbo are suffering from a condition called perfection paralysis.
A real-world example
To get an idea of what this means exactly, think about a violinist practicing for an important audition. They want to nail this audition by playing perfectly. To play perfectly, they will need to hit every single note correctly. While practicing, missed notes start to cause anxiety because they start to worry that these notes will be missed in the audition as well. After a while, they may not want to practice anymore because of the fear of missing a note again. By failing to accept small mistakes, the violinist will cause their performance to suffer even more.
The good-enough principle
Combating perfection paralysis comes down to accepting the fact that perfection is unattainable and with most areas of life, good enough really is good enough. Progressing toward goals is the sign of real success, and this mindset will allow a person to be satisfied as long as they are working hard and moving forward.
Allowing good enough to replace perfection also means giving oneself permission to fail. Having that permission means that goals can fly higher and risks can be taken without the fear that it might not work out. Taking risks can allow one's inner genius a chance to break out and make magic happen when it otherwise wouldn't.