I enjoy following Michael Meade, a renowned storyteller, author, and scholar of mythology, anthropology, and psychology. He produces a series of online podcasts and courses that often help me delve deeper into the nature of life, the human condition, perfection, and the challenges we face today.
His podcast Living Myth is always a strong recommendation, but a new episode really struck me as worth an introduction and some analysis.
Living Myth Episode 343, The Right Trouble, begins with a report on the increase of perfectionism in the world. Whether caused by comparisons found on social media or notions of meritocracy, young people especially suffer from perfectionism. Beginning with the idea that something perfect is finished, and, therefore, closer to death than to life, Michael Meade turns our attention to the value of trouble. Not just any trouble, but the importance of getting into the right trouble, the kind of trouble intended to grow our souls.
The right kind of trouble awakens inner capacities we didn’t know we had and draws upon resources we didn’t know were there.
The Problem with Perfection
Two ideas in this short description resonated with me. First, I’m seeing this increase in the pursuit of perfectionism in organizations as well as individuals. A long time ago, I realized how useless the pursuit of perfectionism was in a dynamic world. Since then, it’s always on my “noticing radar” when I see that same pursuit arise in a team or individual I’m coaching.
The problem with perfectionism is that it only works when everything is static and controlled. When things don’t change, you can spend years becoming perfect. Once you reach that state, you can celebrate your achievement. But in a world that is constantly changing, the state of perfectionism is also changing. Even if you achieve it, perfection doesn’t last because everything is always in flux, including its definition!
To me, the idea of perfectionism stems from thinking we are a cog in a machine-like organization. We are trying to model ourselves from the specifications listed in our job descriptions, our sector, or some organizational idea that tells us the goal is to become the proverbial “well-oiled machine.”
Getting Into the Right Kind of Trouble
The other idea that resonated with me was the importance of getting into the right kind of trouble. Resilient systems nurture conditions of robust learning. Getting into the right kind of trouble challenges you, and the people around you, to seek new ways of thinking, living, and leading.
How many of us have pursued developing capacities others said were important to becoming a leader? How many of us have enough self-knowledge to know what hidden talents and gifts we have untapped within us?
This is what disruption, challenge, and leaning into the storm gives us: The opportunity to learn about more facets of ourselves.
One last thought on perfection…
Meade’s podcast made me think of another book I really like, Anti-Fragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. The concept behind this book is that there are some things that become stronger with resistance. Our bones become stronger when we lift weights. Our heart becomes stronger with aerobic exercise. And we learn to know ourselves in more ways when we are tested.
I think this is what Michael Meade is saying when he says that getting into the right kind of trouble helps us become more resilient, creative, and less anxious. It also helps us have a deeper sense of confidence that we can meet the challenges of our day. When we choose to lean into the challenge – the trouble – we keep discovering untapped versions of ourselves, which helps us see ourselves differently. And we become less fragile.
Here’s the podcast episode from Living Myth. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
