Over The Top

As I set the table for our guests, my husband asked, “Why does everything you do have to be so over the top?”  Perhaps it was the napkins folded into swans that set him off?  


The pursuit of perfectionism can be exhausting and stressful.  I’ve often wondered why I make myself crazy trying to do everything better than anyone ever expects.  Perhaps it’s a lifetime working in hospitality - or perhaps I was just born this way.  


Honestly, I take great pleasure in the reward of a job well done.  The opportunity to “wow” someone is most often the driving factor behind why I put so much pressure on myself to go beyond expectations.


The challenging part is when those self-imposed expectations become unmanageable.  Take last week for example…


A client reached out to me in need of a furnished apartment in Markham.  The trouble was this particular client had a very large dog and the property’s pet policy would not allow it.


Determined to find a solution, I reserved a dog camp for the pet, their first night in a suite hotel and a large vehicle to pick them up at the airport – all included in the rate.  I even offered to personally assist with their move from the suite hotel to our corporate housing location the next day (once the pet was boarded).  The client was very impressed and I was so thrilled to have been able to make it all happen.  Perfection!  


And that’s when it happened.  In my furry to go beyond all reasonable expectations, I made a simple scheduling error and the client was left waiting at the airport for a pick up that wasn’t coming – until the following day. 


It was a painfully long wait for the car service to dispatch an immediate pick up.  I’m not sure who was more stressed about the wait, the caged dog - or ME!  I felt absolutely sick. 


Thankfully, the client was wonderful.  Clearly HE understood something I needed reminding of.  We are human.  Mistakes happen.  Good intentions and quick resolutions are what really matter.


For most of us, doing a 90% job is good enough – great, in fact.  Further, a conscientious perfectionist’s 90% may be 100% acceptable or even outstanding to her colleagues and supervisor.


Give it a try: let go of the 10% that exists between what you must do and how perfectly you imagine it can be done.


Then look around and see if the sky is falling.