Strive To Be Perfect

Today is the birthday of Nadia Comaneci, who was born on 12 November 1961. She won hearts the world over for scoring a perfect 10 in gymnastics at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, the first time this had ever been achieved.

Nadia’s contribution to the world is in showing us that it is possible to be perfect. Every time somebody tells you that perfection is merely an ideal that can never happen, think of Nadia Comaneci, and strive to prove the critics wrong just as she did.

Perfection is not an ideal state. It is a very real situation in which your performance is of such a high standard that even the harshest critics cannot point out any flaws. It happens when you exceed expectations and leave people with nothing to say except “WOW”!

Here is a video on the event that stunned the world.

Interesting Facts

  • A perfect score had not been thought even possible until Nadia’s achievement. This was reflected by the design of the Olympic scoreboards which could not display the number 10. Her score was therefore shown as 1.00 instead.
  • It is not legally possible to break Nadia’s record as the youngest all-round gymnastics champion ever because she was 14 years old at the time, and the current legal age limit to participate in Olympic gymnastics is 16.

Quotes by Nadia Comaneci

I don’t run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I run toward it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your feet.

Hard work has made it easy. That is my secret. That is why I win.

I like to tell young people to work hard for your goals and live in the moment.

You should also appreciate the goodness around you, and surround yourself with positive people.

Further information

Nadia Comaneci and her husband Bart Connor have an official homepage where you can learn more about what they are doing now.

Arina Arad wrote a great post about her Romanian compatriot titled Perfection Is Possible.

Nadia Comaneci herself wrote a book Letters to a Young Gymnast (Art of Mentoring) and contributed a chapter to the book Awaken the Olympian Within by John Naber.

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Posted by Daphne | November 12, 2008 | in Work Hard


3 Responses to “Strive To Be Perfect”

  1. Jeremy Day
    November 13th, 2008 @ 8:34 am

    Hi Daphne,

    Wow! Cool post. I remember watching here when I was a lot younger. She was pretty cool. ;-)

    Cheers,
    Jeremy

    Jeremy Days last blog post..Carnival of Personal Development

  2. snigdha
    November 13th, 2008 @ 10:36 am

    Hi Daphne, another great thought. While I agree with the title – ” Strive” to be perfect, I personally believe that ” perfection” is NOT possible, what matters is one should always strive towards perfection; coz ” perfection” is just like a benchmark, which should always be set higher and higher. The moment ” perfection” is thought to be achieved, it ceases to be a perfection. Further, who decides that it was a “perfect” act – point to ponder over, do not u think so ?? The room for improvement is always the biggest and the ever-expanding room in the world. Sorry, I am perhaps guilty of picking up a bit of semantics you used . But, I agree 101% with the spirit and message behind your article. Let’s try to be perfect, in whatever we do . I am reminded of a saying – every action of ours is a self-portrait, let us autograph it with excellence ( nay – perfection !!) .

    snigdhas last blog post..

  3. Daphne
    November 13th, 2008 @ 5:53 pm

    @ Jeremy, thanks. Yes most of us were pretty young when she got her perfect 10 more than 30 years ago. Still, even now I watch the video and am amazed at what she did then.

    @ Snigdha, you have a great point about always raising the bar so we keep striving to be better. I used to consider perfection an ideal that could never be reached as well. Today I’ve become easier on myself and others, and I sometimes tell somebody that the arrangements for an event were “perfect” in the sense that it was everything I had expected and maybe more. Of course it could be better, which means that it is possible to be “more than perfect” but you’re right that this gets into the semantics.

    I like the saying you brought up, that every action of ours is a self-portrait. How true. Christians have something similar: “You may be the only bible someone else ever reads”. We never know when a single action we make has a deep and lasting impact on someone else, and so should strive to make every word and deed count.

    Thanks for your wonderful and thought-provoking comment!

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