Ensure Misery

The urge to achieve perfection is one of the basic human drives which gives rise to motivation. It is possible however for the drive toward perfection to become pathalogical or unhealthy. If we accept that perfection is essentially an un-attainable goal, but instead merely an ideal to be aimed toward, then we can create realistic goals and therefore the possibility of success.

Further reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfectionism_%28psychology%29