paul’s reading of Michael Jordan’s book, “I can’t accept not trying” helped put a few things in perspective

H Jackson Brown is quoted as saying, “Strive for excellence not perfection”. And I have to agree, life is far more fulfilling in the pursuit of excellence, than it is in trying to attain perfection.

I was first confronted with an adult labelling me a “perfectionist” in Year 10 at George Town High School. I’d just completed my final swim at the Inter-high Swimming Carnival. I was carrying an injury and I had expressed my disappointment at not performing better. Maybe it was clumsy or unthinking behaviour of Mr Meadows, my science teacher, to label me that day, but it got me thinking. I didn’t respond to him on the spot, but I did contemplate his assessment of me on the hour long bus trip home. I was comfortable at the end of that day that I had performed my best. I did not carry an expectation that I would win, although I entered the competition with the intention to try and win. I walked away knowing that there is often someone better than you (at most things), and the real measure for me was  “did I perform to the best of my ability”. I was comfortable that I did.

Several years later, I purchased Micheal Jordan’s 1994 book, “I can’t accept not trying”. Although small in stature and brief in its word count, I was impressed by the key messages about personal investment and effort, the importance of the fundamentals, and team work. When I read it, I reflected on my approach to exercise, sport, study, exams, and was content that I had arrived at a place that comfortably aligned with the pursuit of excellence, rather than perfection. I knew I could not beat many or any of peers athletically nor academically, although so much of the senior secondary education system sets this type of competition up. I had resolved to run my own race, and I have pretty much done that ever since. Even when I was playing grade cricket, I wasn’t distressed when we lost, for I could tune in and assess the effort I put in. More often than not I was content I did everything that was in my control. I used the loss, as well as any victories, to reflect on what I could do different and better next time as a way to grow and change.

I have certainly learned over the course of my career as a community service leader that we must, at times, compromise on the quality of the work we do. My time at The Smith Family introduced me to the term “satisficing”. Often in the context of limited human or financial resources I would deliberately aim for a satisfactory or adequate result, rather than pursuing an optimal solution. It calls upon a leader to pivot toward pragmatic decision-making, and resolve to complete tasks at an acceptable threshold rather than directing maximum effort toward the attainment of an ideal outcome.

“Excellence is never an accident” – Aristotle