Creating Space

I often hold myself to high standards.  I like to do things well.  I like to send out email without typos and craft my sentences to suit my audience and ride the asymptomatic line ever farther towards the truth.

Then sometimes, I don’t.

See, I have a perfect-o-meter with an adjustable dial.  It has its usual setting, and drifts back to it if I let it go.  I can also crank it up and crank it down.

Here are some situations where I crank it up:

When I’m working for a client whose own perfect-o-meter is set high.
When I want to make something that will last.
When I want to impress someone.
When I take pleasure in attending to the details.

Here are some situations where I crank it down:

When I want to meet a deadline.
When I have a client who wants to save time or money.
When the work needs only to fill a short-term need.
When my internal compass says this is all I can do now.

Editing is like building lighter bicycles.  If you have an average bicycle, you can shave an ounce off its weight for a few dollars.  If you have a high performance bicycle, you can shave an ounce off its weight for a hundred dollars.  If you have a world class bicycle, to further lighten it without losing performance costs thousands of dollars.  Each point of improvement costs more than the last one - whether you are taking ounces off a bicycle or polishing a piece of writing.  This is called the law of diminishing returns, and it applies to a lot of situations.

If you are a world-class bicyclist, having a world-class bicycle is worth a big investment.  If you are commuting to class, it’s not.  What’s good enough depends on the circumstances.

My adjustable perfect-o-meter serves me well.  It lets me meet each situation appropriately.

And one more thing - there is always a perspective available for which everything is perfect, exactly as it is.

May you freely find the perfect-o-meter setting that best serves you in every situation.

Anna