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The trap of perfection.
The burden of high expectations.
It’s deadly.
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Despite our imperfections, we somehow convince ourselves that perfection is obtainable. That maybe if we tried harder we’d get better and better until… Until what? Until halos appear on our heads, or golden stars become permanently etched on our chests?

Why is it that we want our bodies, our careers, our relationships, our lives… to be perfect? We try to attain something unattainable. We can’t be God. Yet we try to be. We want to be in control. For things to go according to plan. The lure of being in control is painstakingly strong.

Yet we need to learn that PROGRESS is far more important than PERFECTION.

Here are some truths on being perfectly imperfect:

Beauty and pain become one as crystal balls fall around you. Refraining from tears is hard. What’s harder? Allowing the tears to fall freely. Personally, I did not cry for years. I didn’t want to show emotion. To be vulnerable. I wanted to be strong. To be secure. Little did I realise… crying is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. It’s a stage in the healing process. It’s cleansing. Most importantly, it’s real. It’s a raw display of our inmost thoughts, feelings, fears, hurts, joys. It’s a part of our humanity. So don’t be afraid to smudge your make up or compromise your ‘masculinity’. Crying is a perfectly imperfect part of our lives.

Beauty comes from pain as you fall, but choose to get back up again. We can’t expect ourselves to always win – to get first place in a race or top marks on a test. Success is limited. Trying – that’s unlimited. It’s not the end of the world to fail. When something fails, you discover the weakness. Then, you can build on the strengths. Take the broken pieces, and make it into a masterpiece next time

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Strength is when you take the misses, but don’t let them misshape who you are. Faults and flaws, they’re a part of who we are. We don’t like there to be errors – we like to be right and not wrong. But remember: Making a mistake doesn’t mean that YOU are a mistake. Don’t let anything you do define who you are. Instead – learn, grow, and take mistakes as life-lessons.

Appearances. Why do we make such a big deal about them? Looking like a model or bodybuilder is not possible for 99% of us. As a society, if we stopped obsessing about how we look, we might actually be more productive in other areas of our lives. Don’t place unnecessary pressure on yourself. An hour straightening or gelling your hair is not worth it if you’re doing it for the wrong reasons. Don’t set standards which might impact how others perceive their appearance either. Lets make imperfections and natural beauty the norm, not perfection. Goldilocks wouldn’t have been able to maintain every strand of her glorious hair …

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“Intelligence isn’t thinking you know everything without questioning… but rather questioning everything you think you know.” Learning is a part of life. We are not born with the asset of knowledge, and filling our heads with knowledge will only leave us feeling empty. Rather than trying to be an expert on everything, a greater asset is wisdom. Wisdom stems from imperfection, from the challenges we face and the life lessons we learn.

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Life is tough as it is, so don’t make it even tougher by degrading your own virtue and ability. You shouldn’t be ashamed of your efforts. You should’t feel guilty for trying your best. We are our own worst enemies in that we abuse and self-criticise until we are left feeling inadequate. You are adequately human. No, you’re not perfect. But you’re not insignificant either.

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Don’t place yourself on the floor and others on a pedestal. We are ALL perfectly imperfect. We have this tendency to measure ourselves. Not just against our own high standards, but against the high standards of others. No one is perfect, despite how we might perceive some individuals in our lives. The following quote sums up this pearl of wisdom: “It’s better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection.”

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Striving for excellence is different from striving for perfection. Don’t be unrealistic. Don’t put too many demands on your shoulders {or else you will collapse}. Don’t expect to wake up with a brain full of knowledge and wisdom. Don’t expect to get it right the first time. Don’t expect everyone to like you or what you do. Don’t expect things to run according to plan – because they don’t. That’s a fact of life. Just don’t expect things. It’s better to be expectation-free. Surprise yourself. Otherwise you’ll set yourself up for disappointment.

So perfection…. It’s an illusion.

When we seek perfection, we set ourselves up for an unfulfilling life.
Instead of chasing the perfect life, let’s chase a life of fulfilment.

May you embrace your perfectly imperfect life, and enjoy the abundance of lovely treasures life has to offer!