This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Provo • Brigham Young University President Cecil O. Samuelson warned students this week to avoid the "foolish personal mistake" of perfectionism.
"It may be understandable to believe what behavioral scientists describe as perfectionism is laudable," Samuelson told the approximately 10,000 students gathered Tuesday in the Marriott Center. "In fact it is not. It is corrosive and destructive, and is the antithesis of the healthy quest for eventual perfection that the savior prescribes."
Samuelson and his wife, Sharon, spoke at the first campus devotional of the semester at the LDS Church-owned school.
While Jesus Christ commanded his followers to "be ye therefore perfect," Samuelson said, the original Greek text reveals that perfection meant being whole or complete, rather than flawless. And, Samuelson said, it is a gradual process that takes time and cannot be achieved immediately.
Attacking one of the myths of perfectionism, Samuelson said that one can be deemed morally worthy while being imperfect.
Samuelson said people also need to realize that, in the quest for perfection, there are some things beyond control, such as being the victim of an accident or an assault. But, he added, there is also a need for personal responsibility in the areas that one can control.
"I have heard students," Samuelson said, "offer criticisms of faculty members who chose to give examinations after a holiday weekend, for example, when students could have prepared better and earlier."
He said students should not be afraid to look for help, whether it is from professors, church leaders or God.
Leticia Morales, a sophomore from Provo, said Samuelson's words were timely and appropriate.
"Perfectionism is one of those things we are struggling with," Morales said.
Sharon Samuelson reminded students that they got where they are today because of "bridges" built by the actions of ancestors and others.
"Your education at Brigham Young University is possible because of men and women who valued education and learning in an atmosphere of faith," she said. "They built these bridges through their hard work, foresight and testimonies of what Brigham Young University could and would be in the future."
She reminded the students that they have a responsibility to leave behind a legacy that will guide their descendants on correct paths for generations to come.
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