It seems like a basic human desire to do things well. Over time this desire can morph into the desire to be perfect -- to do things better than other people, be the best at something (or everything). It comes from a good place but gets out of hand. Perfection is not unattainable. Yet, we still bust our asses to prove that wrong. "...Maybe I am different, maybe *I* can be perfect..." The desire to be perfect stems from ego, the separate self.
So, instead, let's redirect that energy into being present. Presence is so much more rewarding. One, because it is possible - we can work and get better at being present in our daily lives. And two, because so much beauty comes from being present. There is beauty in the imperfections of life. And striving to be perfect only pulls us away from that beauty. Instead of noticing the sunlight hitting the trees, we are racing around trying to get something accomplished exactly as we planned in our heads.
It is like art. When we embark on the creative process, we have an idea in our heads that we want to create. But the truth is that art never ends up looking exactly like the picture we have in our minds. Because the mind cannot conceptualize art as well as the the heart can.
In a scenario where we are striving for perfection, we see something in our minds eye, we try to create it, we get frustrated when we cannot recreate it exactly like we think, so we give up or we rework it so much that it gets so far away from the original intent and we hate it.
On the other hand, if we look at the scenario where we strive to be present, we start with an idea, we watch it unfold, we accept the imperfections - honor them so much that they become apart of the piece. The end result is something that your brain could never have imagined but which creates an emotional reaction because it came from the heart instead.
The classic example is trying to cut out the shape of a heart -- it is impossible to cut a perfect heart out of paper. There will always be a side or a curve that doesn't quite match the other. If we aim for perfection, we end up cutting the heart down so much that it falls apart in our hands. If we aim for presence, we end up creating a heart that not only exists, but is unique and has character.
So, instead of aiming for perfection, let's aim to be present. Let's let go of this desire to do everything exactly they way we think it should be done, and let our hearts guide us more; let the forces around us help direct us toward the path we were meant to be on. For we can never know exactly what our life will look like until we LIVE it. And we will never be happy until we let go of perfection and control and, instead, settle into truly experiencing our life as it unfolds before us.