Originally Posted by
DarrenHW
I know where you’re coming from, I can’t remember a time when I didn’t have self image issues, but in all probability, this is most likely what makes us strive for perfection. Ignoring all advice from Johnny Mercer, I seem to have an uncanny ability to accentuate the negative. Whenever I experience something new, I’m inexorably drawn to its flaws. I guess this is because it’s the way I evaluate my own actions, constantly focusing on my mistakes whilst reluctantly accepting the successes.
Our origins and formative years are awash with competitive pressures; we can feel it all the way from very early on, though we may not recognise the pressure at the time.
It is also a fact of human existence that we tend to take for granted that which is OK, satisfactory or functioning correctly, and concentrate on the aspect which is causing problems - that is what needs to be altered or corrected, and we focus on that, not on what is working.
The whole of the measurement of me in jobs has been on being adequate, up to the accepted standard, and no attention given to anything better than required. In an Amway lecture they said "You get what your job's worth, not what you're worth".
In all honesty, I’ve never been 100% satisfied with anything I’ve done. Sometimes this is though a stupid mistake on my behalf, which I find very hard to forgive, but when I’ve performed to the best of my ability and as long as I’ve improved upon my last effort, I find solace in the adage that practice makes perfect, and hope that one day I will reach the targets I set for myself.
We can go on forever making things better, but the context of any aspect is vital. I once measure the diameter of a bolt on my BMW motorbike which was holding a cantilever cable operating the clutch, and it was within one micron.
Lovely, but not needed to be so good.
Making a move to construction was probably the best thing I’ve ever done for my emotional wellbeing. Having something real and tangible to show for my efforts at the end of a day gives me a greater sense of achievement than I ever felt in IT. Working in IT, you will (generally) receive the gratitude of your client for resolving a problem / creating a solution, with construction you’re helping someone fulfil their dreams and 99% of the time they’re so pleased with the bigger picture they place little value on the bumps in the road along the way, which does help keep things in perspective.