A review by bisthesu
The Pursuit of Perfect: How to Stop Chasing Perfection and Start Living a Richer, Happier Life by Tal Ben-Shahar

4.0

Ever since reading about Tal Ben-Shahar in a Boston Globe article (http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/03/10/harvards_crowded_course_to_happiness/ ) I've been interested to learn more about what he was teaching in his "sold out" Harvard course. I haven't been disappointed. The main tenet of the book is that perfectionism often limits your success and even when it doesn't, you don't appreciate what you've achieved. He recommends becoming a optimalist (a new word he coined I believe) instead. An optimalist accepts failure as part of life, enjoys the journey instead of only the destination and is still able to achieve goals. As one who has strong tendencies toward perfectionism, it's an especially useful read. He covers other useful areas like striking a balance between work, family and recreation, using personal examples. He uses his own life as an illustration on how to apply the principles he teaches. I find this quite helpful as it lets you in on his own experiences with perfectionism as well as giving you concrete examples to emulate in your own life. I can't say whether this book had long-lasting affects yet but I plan to apply his suggestions in order to become an optimalist in time. I agree with other reviewers that the reader detracted from the content. I would have preferred to hear the author read his book.