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The goal of standards is to improve our future actions

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Re: The goal of standards is to improve our future actions

#111

Post by afarrell »

mpalmer wrote: post #28
afarrell wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree with this as good advice. I think the post is at a point where any more self-editing would be navel-gazing. Instead, I’d advise first posting it to 1-3 editors whom you trust. “Consider your audience” is good…but also not very actionable until you make your audience specific.

You're welcome to disagree, but what you're saying is pretty subjective. Self-editing is not "navel-gazing" if you do it right. > but also not very actionable until you make your audience specific He posted it to HN himself. Do I really need to be more specific?

> Self-editing is not “navel-gazing” if you do it right

True. But beyond a couple rounds of self-editing, it becomes extremely hard to do it right.

> Do I really need to be more specific?

Yep. HN is a whole bunch of people around the world. Look at what PG does before publishing an essay: 3-6 people whom he knows personally review them.

Re: The goal of standards is to improve our future actions

#112

Post by GDC7 »

bee_rider wrote: post #109

Ok, but if you follow this person's advice and set realistic goals, you probably won't toil your whole life toward some unobtainable perfection only to be discovered posthumously, like all the true greats.

Well if they are so great why are they dead? /s

If you are not there to take your bows, then it's kinda pointless anyway...isn't it?

Nobody does the work for the sake of doing the work. People do the work because they want to be recognized.

Re: The goal of standards is to improve our future actions

#113

Post by GDC7 »

Sometimes I feel like the only cure for perfectionism is to sabotage or rewire the part of our brain which catalogues, sorts and is able to pick one thing as being better/worse than some other thing.

Perfectionism comes from the ability to look around and see the difference between self and the #1 person at that particular task.

The only way to effectively give it a try is not being aware of how awful you are.

Re: The goal of standards is to improve our future actions

#114

Post by b3morales »

xmprt wrote: post #48
Wowfunhappy wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But if you don’t mind me asking—what happens when you, well, don’t have the laundry done, and you realize you actually really need a clean shirt? (Or whatever.)

I think this approach only works if you're already too hard on yourself. If you live like a slob and tell yourself to continue living like a slob then it's not going to help you much.

You can alternatively decide that despite the fact that you "live like a slob" you are sufficiently happy, healthy, and productive. And that the standard that says "this is slobbery" (which comes from projecting an external viewpoint) is not relevant to you, so you can ignore it.

(You can also substitute any X, where X is not harmful behavior, for "slobbery".)

Re: The goal of standards is to improve our future actions

#115

Post by robotnikman »

kirse wrote: post #49

Perfectionism is typically a defense mechanism of some sort. This post is trying to fix all the damaged fruit springing from the roots of perfectionism, like trying to stamp out every ant instead of killing the queen. Sometimes you grew up in a family with a harsh & critical parent, or rewards for progress were minimal, so a spirit of "well done!" is absent. Or maybe you had a personal trauma and the striving is an a…

>Sometimes you grew up in a family with a harsh & critical parent, or rewards for progress were minimal, so a spirit of "well done!" is absent

I feel like this part really explains my tendencies towards perfectionism. In fact I sometimes feel embarrassed when people tell me my work is good.

Re: The goal of standards is to improve our future actions

#116

Post by ohbleek »

DoreenMichele wrote: post #55

I was diagnosed in my thirties with a congenital condition. I decided "I need to start making more Bs if I'm ever going to get anywhere." Twenty years later, I look back on my high expectations and realize that I was inculcated with them in childhood and also got a lot of support in childhood for being able to hit those performance marks in school. Growing up and leaving home meant I still had high expectations but I…

Hi, I’m terrible at navigating HN and I can’t remember my login in order to use anything besides my mobile to post here BUT I saw you replied to a comment of mine 2 months ago regarding CFTR modulators for treating cystic fibrosis. You concluded your response by saying the drugs are prohibitively expensive and I wanted to let you know that if you have any of the qualifying mutations (there are A LOT) you wouldn’t need to pay for the medications as there are funds and grants that will cover the costs of therapy for CF patients. If you want some more information I can try to get you the resources you need. I’ve seen these medications change lives and I hope they will be available for all mutations some day, perhaps yours is already.
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