#NotesofCare

Perfect is the enemy of Good - Voltaire

On the first day of class, Jerry Uelsmann, a professor at the university of Florida, divided his film photography students into two groups.

Group 1 would be graded on the number of photos they took. The more the quantity of photos they produced the better their grade.

Group 2 on the other hand would be graded not on the quantity but the actual quality of pictures they took. They needed to produce just one photo during the semester but to get an A, it would need to be near perfect.

At the end of the semester, when he started to examine the photos submitted by his students, he was surprised to find that all the best photos were produced by Group 1.

During the semester, these students had been busy taking photos, experimenting with composition and lighting, testing out various methods in the darkroom and learning from their mistakes. In the process of creating a large quantity of photos, they had honed their skills. Unfettered by delivering a masterpiece they had been unafraid to experiment or fail and continue to tweak their process.

Meanwhile, the students in Group 2, in the quest for capturing the best picture had been researching the best techniques, considering various light options, theorising about the perfect composition and thinking about perfection. In the end they had little to show for their efforts other than some unverified theories and one photo each. The overall output from the group was mostly mediocre. ?

When we set out with an aspiration to produce the best possible result, we forget that the best comes not from a single concerted output but a series of transitions and waiting for the ephemeral perfection is actually detrimental to producing results. We often mistake perfection for excellence. When we strive for excellence, it can be in many states of good and great. But perfection is a largely utopian.

Do you pride yourself on seeking perfection in whatever you do? Or do you work towards excellence? Seeing the subtle difference can change what and how much you achieve.

*The story is from Atomic Habits by James Clear.