Poetry and Perfection (and Sleep)

Returning to a theme I brought up briefly a couple of weeks ago, it occurs to me that poetic (or any) inspiration is similar to perfection, in that both are commonly the objects of pursuit. It also occurs to me that pursuit is the wrong approach.

Neither poetry nor perfection is impossible, but going after them is commonly fruitless. In my experience, both are things that come and find you, when you are thinking about or doing something else.

Add another item to this list of things that can only be attained by not reaching for them: Sleep.

However, note that refraining from pursuit is like not thinking about the word rhinoceros for ten seconds. Also, it is valid to pursue excellence, which is something short of perfection.

Sleep, poetry, perfection. Do these things have anything else in common? If so, why? What are some effective techniques for refraining from pursuit, without abandoning one's goal entirely? Discuss.