Once upon a time, in a far-off land, there was a town of skilled artisans. Among them was a young potter named Mia, who had a passion for perfection. She had a dream of creating the most perfect pot that the world had ever seen.
Mia worked hard every day, trying to create a perfect pot. She aimed for faultless regularity and spent countless hours perfecting her craft. She followed the traditional techniques passed down from her forefathers, but still, her pots were not perfect.
One day, a wise old man visited Mia’s shop. He looked at her pots and said a wise quote:
Those who aim at faultless regularity will only produce mediocrity, and no one ever approaches perfection except by stealth, and unknown to themselves.
– William Hazlitt
Mia was puzzled by the old man’s words, but she couldn’t deny that her pursuit of perfection had not borne fruit. She asked the old man what he meant.
The old man replied, “Perfection cannot be achieved by forcing it. You cannot create a perfect pot by aiming for faultless regularity. Instead, you have to approach it indirectly, through the back door, without even realizing that you are doing it.”
Mia was intrigued by the old man’s words, and she decided to follow his advice. She started to experiment with different techniques, not worrying about perfection. She began to let go of her obsession with regularity and began to embrace the beauty in the imperfections.
Months passed, and Mia had almost forgotten about her pursuit of perfection. She was working on a pot when she suddenly noticed that it was perfect. The lines were flawless, the shape was exquisite, and the texture was divine. She was overjoyed and couldn’t believe that she had finally achieved her dream.
The old man came back to visit her shop and saw the pot. He smiled and said, “You have achieved perfection, but you did it by stealth, and unknown to yourself. You let go of your obsession with faultless regularity and allowed yourself to be open to new ideas and techniques. That’s how you achieved perfection.”
Mia realized that the old man was right. She had approached perfection indirectly, without even realizing it. From that day on, she continued to experiment and innovate, always striving to improve her craft, but never forgetting the importance of imperfection.
Mia’s journey teaches us that the pursuit of perfection can be a double-edged sword. While it can inspire us to greatness, it can also blind us to the beauty of imperfections. It is only when we let go of our obsession with regularity and embrace experimentation and innovation that we can achieve true brilliance. The wise counsel of others can help us on this journey, and we should never be afraid to seek it out. Ultimately, it is through our willingness to approach perfection indirectly and unknown to ourselves that we can achieve greatness.
