Sometimes in life and in work we demand perfection. If you were piloting a passenger aircraft, running a nuclear power plant or operating on my kidney, perfection would be welcome. There are many situations where mistakes are hugely consequential; we don’t want them and it is important that people take them seriously.
In other settings there’s a minimum level of competence that may be acceptable even though it falls a long way short of perfection. Most customer service falls into this category: much of the time it is good enough, though it is rarely a delight.
How perfect do we ourselves need to be?
Well, it depends on the circumstances, and we can stop beating ourselves up when we don’t need to be perfect. If I’m a bomb-defuser, I know the consequences, and I’ll make fewer mistakes. I’ll learn how to do it carefully, follow procedures, take precautions. I won’t fear the bomb, I’ll fear the explosion. I’ll get into the appropriate emotional state to do my best. So I won’t focus on mistakes, which would generate unhelpful emotions for the task, such as fear. I’ll focus on getting it right, evincing useful emotions such as calm and concentration. Now I am in the moment, focused on each step of the procedure, each new element that presents itself.
Are you perfect? Have you gone through life without ever making any mistakes?
If you can answer ‘Yes’, then you are in for a potentially shattering shock when you do eventually stumble.
Let’s assume that none of us thinks that we are perfect and that we all make mistakes from time to time, ranging from the trivial to calamitous. What we can explore with improvisation is our attitude to mistakes.
What happens to you when you make a mistake? Do you have tendencies towards perfectionism? And, if so, what’s a life-enhancing response for dealing with it?
In our improv courses, we’ll explore how mistakes can become creative springboards – not setbacks. Improv teaches us that unexpected or even unwanted occurrences, when channelled with playfulness and presence, can actually sharpen our awareness and deepen our connection with others.
