There are moments when “good enough” really is enough. The email does not need another rewrite, the kitchen does not need to be spotless and an ordinary Tuesday dinner does not need restaurant-level presentation. But there are also situations in which good may genuinely fall short. A surgeon cannot decide that an almost-correct procedure is sufficient, an editor cannot ignore an important factual error simply because the rest of an article is strong, and an athlete may know that yesterday’s performance will not win tomorrow’s competition. Some people appear particularly sensitive to this distinction.
Psychology suggests their mindset may involve high personal standards, perfectionistic strivings, self-discrepancy and maximizing tendencies. Importantly, however, wanting excellence is not automatically the same as unhealthy perfectionism. Research increasingly suggests that the psychological difference may lie in what happens when a person falls short.
