For five semesters now, I have experienced what I will call the “college student burnout.” At the beginning of each semester, I set foot on campus once again with a renewed determination to annihilate the coming semester. It was a tenacity I saw in my peers’ faces, as well.

But as each semester dragged on, reality slowly chipped away at that resolve. It was palpable in the classroom and many of the study sessions I attended. The bags under my eyes were growing more and more apparent.

This is not necessarily our fault though. We have a breaking point.

Society has pushed us passed that breaking point, advocating that we need to be “perfect” in order to attain a good job or live a fulfilling life.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Socrates addressed this issue when he said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

If we are to give value to our existence, subscribing to society’s notion of a fulfilling life is not a good idea. As Socrates advocates, we must reflect on life itself. But, an immense burden is put on students leaving us no time to appreciate the finer things.

Our obligations are endless: internships, study groups, extracurricular activities, jobs, not to mention the relationships in our lives. These obligations promise to help us find our fast-paced lifestyle some meaning and, subsequently, everything will be “perfect.”

If perfection is the absence of flaws, how can this be? When these demands are placed upon me, I find many flaws in my life. As a result, I tried to slow down my obligations this semester.

The world will go on if I take on one less extracurricular activity. With less obligations, I have had a much more fulfilling semester. It has allowed me to concentrate on the process rather than the result, thus discovering a new meaning of perfection.

When the end result is more important than the process of getting there, the outcome is more advantageous; it is less rushed and more meticulous. As we enjoy the journey of progress, we will notice the gap between how things are and how they could be diminishing. That’s the ultimate goal of perfection.

Realization of such a simple idea leads to a life that is less rushed.

People run around in pursuit of perfection, but it can never be reached.

However, as we constantly watch things improve, we take pride in it. Our endeavors will never be perfect, but do we want them to be?

Acknowledging the impossibility of perfection leaves us in an interesting place. Though we know an undertaking will never be flawless, we must still seek to rid it of any blemishes. In doing so, we will yield the best results and welcome the apprehension that exists between our current situation and our ideal circumstance.

So talk for 30 more minutes with a close friend and notice how the friendship matures. Study for 15 minutes longer and watch the understanding and appreciation for the material grow. These are the small improvements that will lead to a better tomorrow, a tomorrow that welcomes and revels in the uncertainty in a pursuit for perfection.

Reach Andrew at andrew.hedlund@asu.edu.