PERFECTION........

Trifles make perfection and perfection is no trifle!”

- Michelangelo

Once Michelangelo was working on a statue for several days and he was taking a long time to retouch every small detail, which seemed rather insignificant to a bystander. When asked why he was doing this, Michelangelo replied, “Trifles make perfection and perfection is no trifle”. Most people forget how fast you did a job, but they remember how well it was done.

There are two ways of getting rid of weeds in your yard. The easy way is to run a lawnmower and the yard will look fine for a while, but that is a temporary answer. Soon the weeds grow back. But the not-so-easy way would mean getting down on your knees and slowly pulling out the weeds by the roots. This is time-consuming, tedious and would take a long time but the weeds would stay away for a very long time.

In today’s fast paced world, everyone is looking for instant formulae for success and instant gratification. People seek short-term gains and not long-term benefits. This is a limited vision and can bring only limited results. Today, people want to become rich overnight, but shortcut methods, more often then not, make them compromise on their integrity. The money comes in but brings in only momentary pleasures for along with it comes anxiety, fear and guilt.

Success is but a flash in the pan. True fulfillment and sustained results come only through working relentlessly towards the goal one has set. Goal setting itself involves a series of steps. Goals, as Mr. Shiv Khera points out, should be SMART: S-specific, M-measurable, A-achievable, R-realistic, and T-time-bound. And to realize such a goal, it is absolutely essential to plan and prepare. “Everyone has a will to win but very few have the will to prepare to win”. A complete mental and physical preparation requires sacrifice and self-discipline. This is no doubt difficult but the result is the best. Disorganized labor leads to naught.

Having decided on the course to follow, one needs to have persistence. Nothing can take the place of persistence, not even talent and genius.

Fritz Kreisher, the great violinist, was once asked, “How do you play so well? Are you lucky?” He replied, “It is practice. If I don’t practice for a month the audience can tell the difference. If I don’t practice for a week, my wife can tell the difference. If I don’t practice for a day, I can tell the difference”.

Persistence means commitment and determination and this comes from a sense of purpose.

So, don’t look for one-minute solutions to everything. Quick fixes do not bring a sense of fulfillment. Moreover, this attitude is apt to lead to disappointments. Remember that triumphs do not come without sustained efforts.