There is a certain paradox about two self-proclaimed perfectionists lamenting how they lives are imperfect because of their obsession with perfection. Think of it, if you have to put all your mental energy into bringing a piece of work to perfection, agonize over the little details so much you miss the joy of creating this work in the first place, and the only way you can be satisfied is if the work meets all your expectations of what you want it to look like, how much energy is left for the other aspects of life?

But then, isn't perfectionism what makes us competent individuals? Isn't this what some of our parents and teachers taught us to become, to "keep trying until you succeed," to "keep practicing so you get better each time"? Isn't perfection what the media insidiously and relentlessly goad us to pursue, with commercials that bombard us with images of flawless faces or cellphones with ever-faster 3G connection?