Words of Wisdom from Women to Watch

Chapter 8Integration: The Key to Happiness

Janet Pane

Head of Market Relationship Governance Willis Towers Watson

“Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”

From Voltaire to Shakespeare to modern self-help blogs, we see this sentiment repeated over and over again across the ages. So what does it mean? I take it to mean that in our zeal for personal and professional excellence we have to be careful not to overdo it. With today’s busy lifestyles and stressful workloads, it is easy to become overwhelmed. How do you ensure that your unique essence, your authentic self, is protected and preserved? When should you be content with what you have accomplished? Overachieving in every area of our life comes at a high cost, and I suggest it is time to take it down a notch and reexamine what is really important. What makes you happy?

I have personal experience in perfectionism. With the exuberance of youth, I believed that having it all was easy. My career was soaring, my family was a constant source of pride and joy, and I was doing really good and important work at one of the largest global insurance brokerages in the world. I was tired most of the time due to the grueling hours, but the adrenalin kept me going, until I began waking up at night with crushing chest pains. A trip to the doctor confirmed that my heart was fine—it was the pace that was killing me. My pursuit of perfectionism led to exhaustion and a high level of anxiety, which was having a devastating effect on my ...