Sometimes Done is Better Than Perfect

“She is a perfectionist.” I recall going to parent-teacher conferences and hearing this from both parent and teacher. It was a term of endearment. It meant I was diligent, smart, and cared about my work. To me, perfectionism was a badge of honor, a character trait not everyone was lucky enough to possess. I’d wear this badge of honor for the rest of my life, even today as I rewrite this sentence for the tenth time. I only understood the negative side of “perfectionism” in very recent years. The first time I saw this photo, which has since become a viral meme, it all made so much sense.

Rare footage of me at 6 years old. … Just kidding.

“Strong attention to detail” is requirement of every job I applied to during and after law school. We were told if one word was misspelled on our resumes or cover letters, we’d be passed over for the position because people with “strong attention to detail” do not misspell words. But have you ever read a sentence fourteen times only to have someone else pick up on a misspelling or grammatical error on their first read? During my first year of law school, I applied to a job through a family-friend. In my cover letter I wrote something like “I am a 1L at New Year Law School.” I was actually a 1L at New YORK Law School. I read that cover letter at least five times, but my eyes just did not pick up on it. I was warned by my family-friend that I would given a little grief during the interview because I wrote “New Year” and then went into my unprecedented attention to detail. It was ironic and silly faux pas, but I had to get this application in that morning and I was lucky I had the time to reread it at all. My potential employer did not count me out. They had a sense of humor and probably reread their first year resume so many times only to find a typo right after they hit submit. The purpose of this story is to remind you that sometimes done is better than perfect and most people, especially those who you want to work for, are going to look at a typo and think “happens” not “idiot.” I ended up taking a different job before the interview came about, but I still got the interview even after writing “New Year” instead of “New York.” And I definitely would not have gotten the interview if I did not submit the application on time because I was too worried about having a typo-free, absolutely perfect cover letter.

If I could tell eight-year-old Kate (and that girl in the meme) one thing, it would be that the world will keep spinning even if you color outside the lines. Stop ripping up pages and pages of coloring books because you went outside of the lines or used the wrong shade of blue.

-Kate