I couldn't have said it more perfectly myself. Thank-you; I feel a little bit less alone on this subject.

I love the notion of integrating the concept of perfectionism with spirituality. I find it fascinating that corporations, currently the lifeblood of American culture, place so much weight on "greatness," being the "best." If you're right, these values are being preached to an increasingly incompetent (and demoralized, IMHO) employee base. I wonder whether a re-evaluation of business culture would be in order to fix the competency crisis, something like "do ok. We're here for you." I'd like to hear your solutions (in a future post?), if you have some.

Finally! Someone gets it right...
Cannot tell you how weary I am of being accused of a perfectionist, as if it were a naughty word--when in fact, it should be a commendation.
My grandmother sewed quilts--each and every stitch (by hand,) were all exactly the same size, and these quilts were amazingly perfect in all their lovely detail. To this day, they are a lasting legacy to what I have always called, "perfectionism."
In a "disposable" society, it has become something to be denigrated in most circles. Thank you for capturing that the true essence of perfectionism stems from honor, pride, responsibility, desire, and the paying of attention to detail. Wouldn't we all be a little better off if we all had these traits?
Lisa

Yes, working hard do to an outstanding job is admirable and unfortunately greatly absent from our society. I think that work ethic has gone to the pits all over the place. However, trying to do a great job at something is not "perfectionism". This term applies to someone who has a viscious cycle of negative thoughts when what they do is short of perfect. Don't all of you get confused by a term that does not at all apply to both a hard-worker who demands an excellent outcome and someone whose desire to have an excellent outcome is destroying their mind (and consequently their work). There is no such thing as perfect. Lisa--I believe you when you say your grandmother made fantastic quilts! However, there had to have been one stitch somewhere on each of the quilts that was just at 99%. Maybe not at quite the perfect angle. A perfectionist (by present day definition) would destroy themselves over that. In reality, a perfectionist beats themselves up over every single thing they do during the day: in their professional lives AND personal lives. There is no end to a perfectionist's quest to be A+++++ at everything they do in life. It is an all consuming destruction that actually makes the outcome less near perfect than it would have been had the obsession not been in place.

I can't believe you all are upset about the term perfectionism becoming a "villian". Be a little flexible and call non-disorder perfectionsm by a more proper description that is more recognized nowadays: outstanding work ethic or devotion to high quality work.

Obviously none of you have battled with perfectionism-the disorder. Have a little empathy. Also, develop some flexibility in your definition of words. Sheesh.