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 * Perfect is the Enemy of Good
 
-As the saying goes, "the best is the enemy of the good." As we strive
-for perfection, we often fail to realize the implications of such an
-undertaking. Attempting to reach perfection is often unrealistic. Even
-worse, it can get in the way of achieving a good outcome. In certain
-situations, we try so hard to achieve the ideal solution that we have
-burned the bridges that would have allowed us to reach a lesser yet
-still superb solution.
-
-Philosophers throughout history have inspected this plight from many
-viewpoints. Greek mythology speaks of the
-[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_mean_(philosophy)][golden mean]],
-which uses the story of Icarus to illustrate that sometimes "the middle
-course" is the best solution. In this story, Daedalus, a famous artist
-of his time, built feathered wings for himself and his son so that they
-might escape the clutches of King Minos. Daedalus warns his beloved son
-whom he loved so much to "fly the middle course", between the sea spray
-and the sun's heat. Icarus did not heed his father; he flew up and up
-until the sun melted the wax off his wings. For not heeding the middle
-course, he fell into the sea and drowned.
-
-More recently, management scholars have explored the
-[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle][Pareto principle]] and
-found that as we increase the frequency of something, or strive to
-perform actions to achieve some form of perfection, we run into
-[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminishing_returns][diminishing
-returns]].
-
-Even further, Harold Demsetz is noted as coining the term
-[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_fallacy][the Nirvana fallacy]]
-in 1969, which shows the fallacy of comparing actual things with
-unrealistic, idealized alternatives. This is another trap that we may
-fall into, where we are constantly thinking of the ultimate solutions to
-problems, when something more realistic needs to be considered.
+As the saying goes, "the best is the enemy of the good." As we strive for
+perfection, we often fail to realize the implications of such an undertaking.
+Attempting to reach perfection is often unrealistic. Even worse, it can get in
+the way of achieving a good outcome. In certain situations, we try so hard to
+achieve the ideal solution that we have burned the bridges that would have
+allowed us to reach a lesser yet still superb solution.
+
+Philosophers throughout history have inspected this plight from many viewpoints.
+Greek mythology speaks of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_mean_(philosophy)][golden mean]], which uses the story of Icarus to
+illustrate that sometimes "the middle course" is the best solution. In this
+story, Daedalus, a famous artist of his time, built feathered wings for himself
+and his son so that they might escape the clutches of King Minos. Daedalus warns
+his beloved son whom he loved so much to "fly the middle course", between the
+sea spray and the sun's heat. Icarus did not heed his father; he flew up and up
+until the sun melted the wax off his wings. For not heeding the middle course,
+he fell into the sea and drowned.
+
+More recently, management scholars have explored the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle][Pareto principle]] and found
+that as we increase the frequency of something, or strive to perform actions to
+achieve some form of perfection, we run into [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diminishing_returns][diminishing returns]].
+
+Even further, Harold Demsetz is noted as coining the term [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_fallacy][the Nirvana fallacy]] in
+1969, which shows the fallacy of comparing actual things with unrealistic,
+idealized alternatives. This is another trap that we may fall into, where we are
+constantly thinking of the ultimate solutions to problems, when something more
+realistic needs to be considered.
 
 Over and over throughout history, we've found that perfection is often
-unrealistic and unachievable. However, we push ourselves and our peers
-to "give 100%" or "go the extra mile," while it may be that the better
-course is to give a valuable level of effort while considering the
-effects of further effort on the outcome. Working harder does not always
-help us achieve loftier goals.
-
-This has presented itself to me most recently during my time studying at
-my university. I was anxious and feeling the stresses of my courses,
-career, and personal life for quite a while, which was greatly affecting
-how well I was doing at school and my level of effort at work. One day,
-I happened to be talking to my father when he said something simple that
-hit home:
+unrealistic and unachievable. However, we push ourselves and our peers to "give
+100%" or "go the extra mile," while it may be that the better course is to give
+a valuable level of effort while considering the effects of further effort on
+the outcome. Working harder does not always help us achieve loftier goals.
+
+This has presented itself to me most recently during my time studying at my
+university. I was anxious and feeling the stresses of my courses, career, and
+personal life for quite a while, which was greatly affecting how well I was
+doing at school and my level of effort at work. One day, I happened to be
+talking to my father when he said something simple that hit home:
 
 #+begin_quote
-All you can do is show up and do your best. Worrying about the outcomes
-won't affect the outcome itself.
+All you can do is show up and do your best. Worrying about the outcomes won't
+affect the outcome itself.
 #+end_quote
 
 The thought was extremely straightforward and uncomplicated, yet it was
-something that I had lost sight of during my stress-filled years at
-school. Ever since then, I've found myself pausing and remembering that
-quote every time I get anxious or stressed. It helps to stop and think
-"Can I do anything to affect the outcome, or am I simply worrying over
-something I can't change?"
+something that I had lost sight of during my stress-filled years at school. Ever
+since then, I've found myself pausing and remembering that quote every time I
+get anxious or stressed. It helps to stop and think "Can I do anything to affect
+the outcome, or am I simply worrying over something I can't change?"
 
 * When Mediocrity Isn't Enough
 
-One problem with the philosophies presented in this post is that they
-are implemented far too often in situations where mediocrity simply
-isn't adequate. For example, let's take a look at digital user data,
-specifically personally-identifiable information (PII). As a
-cybersecurity auditor in the United States, I have found that most
-companies are concerned more with compliance than any actual safeguards
-over the privacy or protection of user data. Other than companies who
-have built their reputation on privacy and security, most companies will
-use [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satisficing][satisficing]] as their
-primary decision-making strategy around user data.
+One problem with the philosophies presented in this post is that they are
+implemented far too often in situations where mediocrity simply isn't adequate.
+For example, let's take a look at digital user data, specifically
+personally-identifiable information (PII). As a cybersecurity auditor in the
+United States, I have found that most companies are concerned more with
+compliance than any actual safeguards over the privacy or protection of user
+data. Other than companies who have built their reputation on privacy and
+security, most companies will use [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satisficing][satisficing]] as their primary decision-making
+strategy around user data.
 
 #+begin_quote
-Satisficing is a decision-making strategy or cognitive heuristic that
-entails searching through the available alternatives until an
-acceptability threshold is met.
+Satisficing is a decision-making strategy or cognitive heuristic that entails
+searching through the available alternatives until an acceptability threshold is
+met.
 #+end_quote
 
-This means that each decision will be met with certain possible
-solutions until one of the solutions meets their minimum acceptable
-standards. For companies that deal with user data, the
-minimum-acceptable standards come from three areas:
+This means that each decision will be met with certain possible solutions until
+one of the solutions meets their minimum acceptable standards. For companies
+that deal with user data, the minimum-acceptable standards come from three
+areas:
 
 1. Laws and regulations
 2. Competitive pressure
 3. Risk of monetary or reputation loss
 
-Working with project management or auditing, the primary concern here is
-the risk of legal ramifications. Since the primary risk comes from laws
-and regulations, companies will require that any project that involves
-user data must follow all the rules of those laws so that the company
-can protect itself from fines or other penalties.
-
-Following this, companies will consider best practices in order to place
-itself in a competitive position (e.g. Google vs. Apple) and review any
-recent or ongoing litigation against companies regarding user data. In a
-perfect company, management would then consider the ethical
-responsibilities of their organization and discuss their
-responsibilities over things like personally-identifiable information.
-
-However, as we mentioned above, most companies follow the idea of
-satisficing, which states that they have met the minimum acceptable
-standards and can now move on to other decisions. Modern business
-culture in the United States dictates that profits are the golden
-measure of how well a company or manager is performing, so we often
-don't think about our responsibilities beyond these basic standards.
-
-Not all situations demand excellence, but I believe that applying any
-philosophy as a broad stroke across one's life can be a mistake. We must
-be able to think critically about what we are doing as we do it and ask
-ourselves a few questions. Have I done everything I can in this
-situation? Is mediocrity an acceptable outcome, or should we strive for
-perfection, even if we can't attain it?
+Working with project management or auditing, the primary concern here is the
+risk of legal ramifications. Since the primary risk comes from laws and
+regulations, companies will require that any project that involves user data
+must follow all the rules of those laws so that the company can protect itself
+from fines or other penalties.
+
+Following this, companies will consider best practices in order to place itself
+in a competitive position (e.g. Google vs. Apple) and review any recent or
+ongoing litigation against companies regarding user data. In a perfect company,
+management would then consider the ethical responsibilities of their
+organization and discuss their responsibilities over things like
+personally-identifiable information.
+
+However, as we mentioned above, most companies follow the idea of satisficing,
+which states that they have met the minimum acceptable standards and can now
+move on to other decisions. Modern business culture in the United States
+dictates that profits are the golden measure of how well a company or manager is
+performing, so we often don't think about our responsibilities beyond these
+basic standards.
+
+Not all situations demand excellence, but I believe that applying any philosophy
+as a broad stroke across one's life can be a mistake. We must be able to think
+critically about what we are doing as we do it and ask ourselves a few
+questions. Have I done everything I can in this situation? Is mediocrity an
+acceptable outcome, or should we strive for perfection, even if we can't attain
+it?
 
 Taking a few moments to think critically throughout our day, as we make
 decisions, can have a tremendous effect on the outcomes we create.