Take It Easy

If you are ambitious, you are probably a perfectionist. Does it drive you crazy when things don’t go your way? There are times when Murphy’s Law says it all: “Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.” Does this sound a little too cynical? Perhaps, but only if you submit to pessimism. If you have a winning attitude, however, you’re ready to tackle anything. You’ll think, “Things go wrong all the time. I’ll take it in stride and move on.” If you cultivate a winning attitude, you can fight Murphy’s Law with ease.

Stuff happens. So what? In our status-oriented society, we often work under the assumption that we must be thoroughly competent, adequate, and achieving. We tend to believe that if we make a mistake that we will be punished. The development of this belief is understandable. As we grow up, whether it is at home, school or work, we often face adverse consequences for not being scrupulously proficient in everything that we do. But holding such a belief produces fear and anxiety. If we believe that we must always be competent, we will expend all our precious psychological energy mulling over the negative consequences of failing, rather than focusing on what we are doing in the here-and-now to achieve our goals. This style of thinking is distracting and obscures the flow of immediate experience, which interferes with cultivating the proper mental edge.

For your long term enduring success, it is vital that you learn to ease up. You don't have to be perfect. You are bound to make mistakes occasionally, and if you are consumed with avoiding them, you'll be so anxious and fearful that you will choke under the pressure, and be upset when things go wrong. Murphy’s Law is true at times, but why feel bothered by setbacks? Why not expect them? It’s hard to accept, but you can’t control everything. Stuff happens and you need to deal with it objectively, rather than feel disappointed and stunned.

Striving for perfectionism is an important ideal to hold, but don't forget that it is just an ideal. You might try to reach for it, but don't beat yourself up when you don't get there. All you can do in the end is do your best.