By:Valerie Hoetzel, Opinion Reporter

It’s a freshly circled 100% lined in cherry red gel ink. It feels nice. It’s a trophy, a ribbon, a number one medal wrapped around your neck. What else screams perfection?

While it is great to reach goals and reach the highest form of success in a desired area of life, it isn’t all bright and yellow.

Success comes with the pressure to keep succeeding, and that pressure can become all-consuming when people are expected to be perfect all the time.

WJPS senior Ajax Graham, said, “I try not to let perfectionism pressure me or ruin my life, but I know a lot of people who let perfectionism get a hold of them.”

WJPS junior Emily Falsone said, “I usually don’t submit my assignments unless they are perfect or up to my standards. This also causes me to procrastinate and actually holds me back from doing assignments because of the fear that it won’t be perfect.”

Instead of striving to be perfect, a healthier goal would be to strive for progress. However, of course, there will always be areas for improvement, so perfection doesn’t even exist.

The only way to get better at something is to try, and failing is inevitable. However, people can learn from their failures, giving them a chance for growth. So don’t be afraid to take that first step, no matter how small.