THANKS FOR IMPERFECTION

“Lack of imagination” – with those words was he fired from his job as an illustrator in a small newspaper. His first business did not last a month, and the second idea was rejected by more than 300 banks.

It was only after so many refusals that his Mickey Mouse finally got the funding from which Walt Disney’s spectacular career began. Later he became a pioneer of American animation, received 22 Oscars and, of course, created the world-famous amusement parks.

Who knows whether Disneyland would exist today if a series of failures and mistakes hadn’t led Walt to new life turns. He himself repeatedly stressed that failure had played a key role in his life:

«All of my obstacles have strengthened me. You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you»

Today we are very happy that once Walt Disney’s life was far from ideal, and his career became stuck, despite a lot of effort. Inspired by this story, we remembered how we sometimes suffer from perfectionism, and have gathered a few facts about the benefits of imperfection in business and life.

  1. Imperfection fosters development

Every day we see examples of more talented people or more successful businesses, which over and over again reminds us that we ourselves are imperfect. This, according to psychologists, is what drives us to develop. Understanding our weaknesses, we begin to work on them, which eventually helps us to move towards our goals. The key thing is not to overdo it and to always remember that perfection does not exist.

  1. Perfection does not exist

The famous German astrophysicist, Professor Harald Lesch, proved that our entire universe was caused by a small “mistake” in physical substance. Moreover, it is the very lack of absolute balance that triggers evolution. In other words, imperfection is embedded in us by nature, and it also helps mankind to develop.

  1. Business is a result of imperfection

The key entrepreneurial skill is the ability to notice new business opportunities where previous processes are no longer effective or sufficient. Some economic theories view business activity as a direct consequence of existing market imperfections. In fact, would you really create a new project if your competitors had done everything perfectly long ago?

  1. Imperfection is likeable

In one of the TED Talks, the American professor of organizational psychology, Adam Grant, shared an interesting fact: people like imperfection. He called this phenomenon ‘power of powerless communication’. Thus, research has shown that if a speaker accidentally makes a mistake or, for example, spills coffee, he becomes much more likable and trustworthy to his audience.

Finally, perfection is just boring. In actual fact, the ability to be yourself and to speak openly even about our weaknesses, causes respect and interest.

That’s why we at Happy Monday appreciate imperfection and admire those who have managed to successfully accept it in their projects and turn it to their advantage. As Walt Disney said, “The more you are like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique.”

Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap