Give one example in your personal life where you have been a perfectionist. Why did you pursue perfectionism for that activity? What was the extra impact?
Binod: “In my personal life, I’ve often exhibited perfectionist tendencies in academic pursuits, particularly during research projects or when preparing for examinations. For instance, when working on a thesis project, I meticulously reviewed every detail of my research methodology, analysis, and conclusions to ensure accuracy and rigour. While this approach led to comprehensive and well-structured research outcomes, it also resulted in prolonged periods of stress and self-imposed pressure to achieve perfection. Reflecting on this experience, I’ve learned the importance of setting realistic goals, seeking feedback from peers and mentors, and recognizing the value of iteration and refinement in achieving excellence without sacrificing well-being.”
Sarita: “As an individual, I am very passionate about anything I do, whether keeping my home in order or anything at work. I enjoy looking at details, like tactical/strategic approach, risk, dependency, and all other parameters that can lead to great outcomes. I have delivered many flagship technology projects for various organizations with almost negligible issues. Being a perfectionist helped me deliver high-quality work with minimal re-work but very long hours of commitment. I think given the technology transformation and the latest tool availability, IT professionals will have a huge advantage if we use them effectively.”
Anupreet: “To be honest, I ‘try’ to be a perfectionist in my professional life rather than my personal life, something I have still been unable to achieve. I still strive for my everyday version to be better than yesterday. In fact, thinking through this question, I really never thought of being perfect at any particular subject from (and within) my personal life.”
Girish: “For my son’s 9th-grade curriculum, I developed an AI-driven study companion using GPT technology and AWS. I pursued perfectionism to create a personalized, adaptive learning tool that could provide high-quality educational support tailored to my son’s specific needs and learning style, leveraging cutting-edge Gen AI and cloud technology for scalability and reliability. The study generates customized practice questions, provides detailed explanations, and offers real-time feedback on assignments. The LLM was trained for about 1000 hours to become a study companion and achieved 97.54% accuracy. It could adapt to his learning pace, identifying weak areas and offering targeted exercises and significantly improved his academic performance and understanding of challenging subjects. It also showcased my ability to harness advanced AI technologies and robust cloud infrastructure for practical applications. It demonstrated my commitment to innovation and engineering excellence, reinforcing my qualifications for a tech-savvy C-level professional.”
Anees: “I have always strived for perfection in analyzing, studying and understanding the enigma of the human mindset. Over the past 20 years of working in the IT industry, I’ve had the opportunity to interact with a wide variety of people. I have always been fascinated by the human mind and how emotional intelligence (EQ) functions. It became increasingly clear to me that EQ had the edge over IQ when it came to thriving at work and in life. This curiosity got the better of me, and I started delving deeper into understanding how the human mind actually works. I pursued perfectionism in this endeavor because I believed that presenting a comprehensive and insightful perspective on such a complex topic required meticulous attention to detail. Being fond of writing, I decided to pen down my research and thoughts. Initially, I began by writing blogs on my LinkedIn page, ‘Leadership Funda,’ sharing my insights and discoveries. The positive response to my blogs encouraged me to take it a step further and start writing my own book, which I am still in the process of completing. Through my writing, I aim to spread the knowledge I have gained and help others understand the importance of emotional intelligence in their personal and professional lives.”
Muhammad: “I was, still am, and will always be a total perfectionist when it comes to my family. My family has consistently supported me in all aspects, ensuring I never faced any family-related issues in my professional life. Their support has allowed me to maintain this perfectionism without any negative effects.”
Yeshanew: “I had always demanded perfection in my academic life. I excelled in national exams throughout elementary, junior high, and high school, but this pursuit of excellence did not extend to my undergraduate studies. There, I felt that I let both myself and my father, whom I greatly admired, down. My self-worth had become intricately tied to my grades, and the quest for perfection had become a source of personal value. However, losing that perfect score opened my eyes, allowing me to understand myself better and reevaluate how I measured my self-worth. Despite this realization, old habits die hard. When pursuing my Master’s degree, I again aimed for perfection and ended up spending 5 years on my thesis after failing to achieve a perfect score in my final course. This experience has greatly shaped my personality. I now find it easier to empathize with others and understand their feelings. I am no longer just a machine executing tasks; I can connect on a personal level and contribute to a happier environment around me. Using humour, I help foster creativity and strengthen the team’s bond.”
Jayachandran: “I love making biryani for my friends and family. Biryani is all about practice and perfection. The more you make it, the better you become at achieving that perfect balance of flavours, textures, and aroma. Biriyani is a culinary masterpiece that combines aromatic rice, fried onions, yogurt and tomato. The layers of flavours and textures create a symphony of taste that’s hard to resist. Perfectionism in Biryani involves attention to detail, from the quality of ingredients to the cooking techniques. Each step matters, and practice hones your skills. When you strive for perfection, you elevate your culinary skills. Perfect Biryani becomes a memorable experience for everyone who tastes it. Perfectionism in Biryani is like the secret ingredient that transforms a good dish into an unforgettable one. So, keep practicing, layer with love, and enjoy the delightful journey of creating the perfect Biryani!
Shobika: “When it comes to cooking, I am a perfectionist. I dedicate ample time to ensure each dish is prepared flawlessly, resulting in consistently amazing outcomes. However, this pursuit of perfectionism often limits my time spent in the kitchen.”
Harsh: “One example from my personal life of being a perfectionist is during my early years of coding. Whenever I encountered too many bugs and spent significant time debugging, I had a unique approach to achieving perfection: I would select all the code (CTRL+A) and delete it (DEL). Then, I would start rewriting the code from scratch. This method allowed me to finish the code much faster, and the second version was invariably shorter, faster, less buggy, and consumed fewer CPU cycles, making it more cost-effective. I pursued perfectionism in this activity because I believed that starting fresh would give me a clearer perspective and avoid the pitfalls of patching up problematic code. This approach allowed me to rethink and refine my algorithms, leading to more efficient and elegant solutions. The extra impact was substantial: I produced higher-quality code, developed a deeper understanding of the underlying logic, and improved my problem-solving skills. This practice of striving for perfection through complete re-evaluation and rewriting has been instrumental in my growth as a developer, fostering a mindset of continuous improvement and adaptability.”
Vamsi: “As a student, I was passionate about spoken languages and math. The idea was to learn and speak perfectly in as many languages as I could as a youngster. I ended up learning 5 different vernacular languages. I believed this could help me network and make friends with a wider set of people. As fate would have it, in my travels around the globe for both work and leisure, this pursuit helped me both personally and professionally. Given the large spread of Indian diaspora and expat professionals globally, I ended up building a good circle of friends and professional connections – more particularly in Southeast Asia and parts of Europe where English isn’t a natural choice for many!”
Rohit: “Perfectionism is momentous and goal-oriented. The energy of wanting things to be great is its obsessive pursuit and makes us focused. I have obsessed over the details many times when we are building a new digital experience or a customer journey. But personally, the last time I was curating an experiential holiday for the family milestone was when I did not want to miss crossing my Ts and dotting my Is. Some things are a lifetime once, and this had to be perfect. That’s when you want to obsess over it.”
What all these personal stories silently reveal is that pursuit of perfection gives happiness, something that all of want. So, happiness is the reward of perfectionism, an immense reward indeed!
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