Perfect Is My Least Favourite Word

No Room for Being Human

For the first 30 years of my life, perfection was the standard.

As a young goaltender, giving up more than two goals felt like failure. Winning wasn't enough. The goal was always a shutout.

As a baseball player, I wanted to bat 1.000.

In school, it was A's or nothing.

At university, making the Dean's List became the expectation.

On the surface, this sounds like ambition.

In reality, it was perfectionism disguised as discipline.

The problem with perfection is that it teaches you to judge yourself almost entirely by outcomes.

If things went well, I felt successful.

If they didn't, I questioned myself.

When life eventually became bigger than what I could control -as it always does - I wasn't prepared.

Relationships ended.

Business plans didn't work.

People disappointed me.

I disappointed myself.

I spent more time looking for explanations than lessons.

The fall from the pedestal of "perfect" is a steep one.

Because perfection leaves no room for being human.

Then something shifted.

I began to realize something that no coach, teacher or report card had ever taught me.

Failure Keeps Us From Participating

Failure isn't optional.

It's the price of admission for a meaningful life.

If you're building a business, you'll make mistakes.

If you're leading people, you'll get decisions wrong.

If you're raising children, you'll have moments you wish you could do over.

If you're pursuing a dream, you'll experience setbacks.

The people who grow aren't the ones who avoid failure.

They're the ones who stop making failure mean something about who they are.

Looking back, perfection wasn't making me better.

It was making me smaller.

I held back from opportunities because I wasn't convinced I was good enough yet.

I delayed conversations because I didn't have the perfect words.

I waited until I felt ready.

I chased certainty before taking action.

Ironically, perfection wasn't helping me perform.

It was preventing me from participating.

Next Play Mentality

Today, my mindset is completely different.

I'm no longer chasing perfect.

I'm chasing progress.

I'm chasing courage.

I'm chasing consistency.

I want to be the person willing to step into the arena knowing I won't always get it right.

Because every meaningful part of my life has come after I stopped trying to avoid mistakes.

I've learned to adopt what athletes call a next-play mentality.

Learn the lesson.

Adjust.

Move forward.

The goal isn't perfection.

The goal is becoming a little better than yesterday.

Failure is Part of the Path

Leadership is no different.

The leaders people trust aren't perfect.

They're authentic.

They're accountable.

They're willing to admit mistakes, learn quickly, and keep moving.

Perfection creates distance.

Authenticity creates connection.

And connection is what people remember.

So if perfection is holding you back from starting the business, applying for the opportunity, having the conversation, posting your thoughts, or simply being yourself...

Remember this:

Failure isn't the opposite of success.

It's part of the path.

The life you want won't be built by someone who never makes mistakes.

It will be built by someone who refuses to let mistakes define them.

Keep Showing Up

Perfect is my least favourite word.

Because perfection asks us to never fail.

Growth simply asks us to keep showing up.