What is it about the quest for perfection that seems to cause otherwise very sensible people to think it actually exists? The perfect team. The perfect quarterback. The perfect season. Maybe a perfect record. But does a perfect record mean perfection? Only in the context of wins and losses. Numbers. Math.
As a coach and an athlete, there is no such thing,really,as perfection.Because when you reach that pinnacle, there is nowhere to go. As soon as you think you are perfect, there is someone ready to knock you down. Many teams and athletes have been able to do amazing things because others perceive them to be perfectly unbeatable. The way I see it perfection is somewhat of a myth. Something you are searching for and trying to achieve, but something that might never be attained. Nobody claims to be perfect, yet those who believe others are perfect fail to realize their full potential because they fear they can never reach perfection.
Don't get me wrong...there are perfect moments. Moments in time when everything comes together in a mythical, magical way; moments when all the stars and planets are aligned. You know what I mean. In sports...the perfect golf shot- a hole in one; the shot thrown up from half court, at the buzzer....the quadruple jump landed on the perfect outside edge....the bullseye....the perfect score on the big test....hitting for the cycle...the no hitter...moments of perfection.
And then there are those perfect moments that if you're not paying attention, you might miss...the drive hit so well you may never have that feeling again; the perfect martini....the perfect song playing at the perfect time....the perfect night to go for a walk on the beach....warm, breezy, and starry...the perfect compliment after the perfect meal. Catching the sun setting on the horizon....catching the perfect wave...perfect moments every day.
One game does not make a team perfect. As a coach you know that. That one win might give your team a perfect record...but a perfect record does not make a team perfect. And one game does not make a team perfect. That's what the quest is all about. Do not assume you will find perfection in the end. You may have already played your perfect game.
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