I have this philosophy I call "Excellentialism" and I consider myself and "Excellentialist". What does this mean, you may ask yourself. You may think I don't know how to spell, or you may already understand this concept by it's very descriptive name.

I think names should be descriptive. Anyway...

Excellentialism is the philosophy of doing your very best in all that you do. It is NOT "Perfectionism". I consider perfectionism a negative extreme of Excellentialism. I will define what I consider perfectionism below, for contrast.

Excellentialists strive to do their very best in all that they do. They are proud of what they accomplish and are not afraid of making mistakes. Excellentialists value the process as a learning experience and know that mistakes are not really mistakes, but ways that things don't work. You have to know how things don't work to really and truly understand how things do work. There's no shame in not getting something absolutely correct and perfect the first time. Doing your personal best means that you are not in competition with anyone. You are not trying to be something you are not, because you know that you can only do your best and there's no other option. Excellentialists will not do a half-assed job. They will work harder than many others because they have very high standards for what they do. They want their efforts to be excellent.

Excellentialists will often try something differently just to see what happens. They will also value the traditional way of doing something. If they try something that is non-traditional, they are not afraid to admit if the traditional way of doing things is better, if they find it to be so. They are also very happy to find out that the non-traditional way of doing something, the way that they've just innovated, is better than the traditional way, if that's the way it turns out. It's excellent to find a better way of doing something.

Excellentialists do not have to know in advance how something is going to end. Not that they do not have a plan. They are excellent because they do plan things very carefully - an a most excellent manner. They are willing to take risks to gain experience and accept the final result - whatever it may be - knowing they did the best they know how to do. They jump on opportunitites when they see them and are aware that we are here to learn as a lifelong process - that the path is the goal - rather than always striving for the finished product. Focusing on the experience of doing something is an excellent way to learn.

Let me just say that I don't even believe perfect exists in that context. Everything is as it should be, and is already "perfect". We cannot make something more perfect than Nature has already made it.

Perfectionists, by contrast, can be very self defeating. Perfectionists often don't even attempt something if they don't think the end result will be "perfect". They will beat themselves up over mistakes. They will not risk something without knowing exactly what the end result will be, and may not even try if they don't think the end result is worth the effort. They do not value the learning process, because they might actually make a mistake. And that's just not OK with them. Often, a perfectionist will just quit in the middle of a project, because they are so afraid it won't turn out the way they are planning, they are not willing to continue. Perfectionists can be quitters or under-achievers who are not willing to attempt things if they don't know in advance that the end product will be perfect.

Excellentialists like to try new things, knowing that trying something new is the only way they will learn and have new experiences, and be able to become more excellent all the time!

Of course, there are greater and lesser degrees of both perfectionism and excellentialism. I've been contemplating this concept for some time now and wanted to share it with my readers. I think Excellentialism is an excellent concept.

mood: contemplative