You said it Al.
The chase can lead you in the wrong direction.
Otherwise good players, suddenly stop when they make a mistake. WTF!
I remember one young fellow. I told him to turn down his 'give a rip.'
This kid went and found another. Started a duo. Started gigging. Started recording albums. I'm so proud that I could be a small part. Essentially, serving as a bad example.
One thing to appear: Joy

i am too old for perfection anymore,,, just waking up breathing is as close to perfect as i get these days...
but that don't mean you should stop tryin !!!!!

I dunno.  I think adequate / that'll work / good enough  has pretty much always ranked ahead of perfection with me.... and things generally pan out okay [banjo "playing" notwithstanding  ].

Heck, ^^ even applies to eating in restaurants. When I give my order to a server at a restaurant and he/she replies "perfect*,"  as often as not I'm thinking ... or occasionally muttering ... "Well, I just hope it's okay."  or, "We shall see."

* or "awesome."

Striving for improvements is always a good thing, but perfection is something for Angels.

Arguably, music is a language. Some are plain spoken. Some are sophisticated. Most are in between. As it should be. Thanks for attending, my Tedtalk

"Eh, good enough!"
          -Mediocrates-

Everyone makes mistakes. It's just a fact of life, whether you're playing the banjo or driving a car or making supper. Mistakes happen. Don't try for perfection, try for it's good.

I used to be a good banjo picker, could jam with the hot shot pickers. Age and arthritis have taken their toll and I've had to slow down a bit. My playing isn't excellent or even good at times, but I keep at it because picking makes me happy, singing adds to the happiness. If I make a mistake, I just keep going and later try to figure out what I did wrong so I don't do it again.

I think I perfectioned once. Brad

“Don’t let perfection be an enemy of the good” - not sure who said that or what it means….

I'll work on perfection and then be satistied with the results, no matter what.

the last few years I have realized putting something off --sometimes gives time for a lot better solution to suddenly appear and it be a completely different way that is better--it has happened several times--I was always the "get it finished NOW ''type

I have a friend, an older fellow, who grew up an overachiever and is perpetually frustrated by his efforts to achieve perfection. I however have been mediocre since grade school and contented remain so. I've never been encumbered with the desire to be more than I am.