Stop Painting Your Bucket
A friend who worked for a Christian organization was known for his perfectionistic work habits. One day as he was finishing some work on a backhoe, a large piece of excavating equipment, he began preparing to paint its large metal bucket. This was an unnecessary part of the job, as the fresh paint would scrape off as soon as the backhoe began digging into rocky soil. As my friend raised his spray gun for the first coat, his boss called to him, “Don’t paint the bucket!”
fixed
I love excellence and I even battle against perfectionism from time to time. But there are times I find speed more desirable than precision. As evidence, behind every picture on my walls is a cluster of tiny pinholes. It’s no wonder that the occasional picture falls from its place. After all, I can’t expect much from a technique that relies on a hairbrush in lieu of a hammer, and a good eye instead of a tape measure. My attempts simply seemed faster than measured accuracy.
one thing
My friend Cha-Lisa threw away her to-do list— for good. During the weeks leading up to her decision, she and I had talked about feeling trapped by the never-ending inventory of tasks. Cha-Lisa said, “Get one thing done, and two more things pop up in its place.” I told her, “I feel guilty when I can’t finish everything.” We concurred…
the privilege of children
Erik Hatzinger confessed to stealing money from several businesses over many months. He seems to be repentant, for when the judge ordered him to pay $13,000 in restitution, Erik informed the judge that he had stolen more and would like to pay it all back.
“That’s the son I raised,” his mother told a reporter. “I’m not surprised he wanted…
painfully perfect
He had a warm, wide smile that belied the anger that would flare up at a moment's notice. My friend's dad was a complex man—a loving, thoughtful neighbor—but a perfectionistic, controlling father.
He's gone from this life now, but his children still bear the wounds of never measuring up, never being able to do things perfectly, never being able to…
