Let’s explore the nature of Perfect Imperfection.
Why do people want to be perfect and imperfection scares them? Many people do not start with work because they want to make everything perfect. They blame their perfectionism for procrastination.
These people often overthink and do not start something before it seems all in line as if they couldn’t change anything about it.
Often, the real reason is their fear of failure, criticism, or loss or because they set the wrong priorities and prefer to do other things than their actual work. They concentrate on the “wrong” and unimportant things instead of what is essential.
Are you a perfectionist?
Do you realize that you are using that as an excuse and you are afraid of failure and changing old habits?
These habits and behaviors come primarily from our childhood. Parents or teachers have taught us that we are only lovable if we do our tasks well and don’t complain.
Of course, your parents or teachers didn’t mean any harm, but these things can significantly impact a child’s self-esteem. You then take this childhood impression with you into your life today.
You still believe you must constantly prove something, and perfectionism becomes an issue of your self-esteem. Perfectionism can come from feelings like that you need to verify your worth.
But perfectionism undermines not just at work. Often, these problems also appear while building relationships because we think we have to be perfect. We are convinced that we will be rejected as soon as we show weakness. Of course, this brings pressure and removes the lightness and playfulness.
“There are no perfect relationships; It’s how you accept the imperfections that make it perfect.”
Often, getting to know each other doesn’t work out, not because of imperfection but because of a lack of self-esteem or sending out vibes of uncertainty and suspicion. Being constantly tense and pushing yourself to achieve perfection affects your psychological and physical health.
We come to love not by finding a perfect person but by learning to see an imperfect person perfectly. – Sam Keen
Self-esteem and comparison
You should strive for something other than perfection and instead work on your self-esteem and self-confidence.
The best thing is to create something worthwhile, finish something, and get closer to your goal. Set yourself a deadline and get the job done as best you can.
Finish your work even if it’s not perfect yet. You can make changes later until you are happy with the result. Don’t be afraid, and do not compare yourself with others.
There is no perfection, neither for beginners nor for professionals.
Most successful people report learning more from their failures than their successes. When we make mistakes, we often gain more than we lose.
Repetition of words
Constant repetition carries conviction. – Robert Collier
When I hear words repeated too often, it alarms me. Often, words make people believe in something without contemplating it.
Ernest Dimnet said: The happiness of most people is not ruined by great catastrophes or fatal errors but by the repetition of slowly destructive little things.
What does perfect mean? Absolute; complete? A society striving for perfection misses many opportunities because great opportunities lie in failure, weakness, and imperfection.
Everything is unique and perfect in its imperfection.
Is nature perfect? The nature around us is an excellent teacher. Everything looks beautiful and perfect when we look at the trees and the flowers. But if we take a closer look at some leaves, for example, we will see that they are all a little different and that none has the same shape. You will discover some minor irregularities, but these in no way diminish the beauty and perfection of the leaf. On the contrary, these differences make the leaf something special and unique.
Now, we are also part of nature. It’s just that we have come far away from living in harmony with nature.
Looking at nature: is it perfect? It is not because nature is constantly changing and evolving. Perfection would indicate it stays the same. Nature knows no problems, only solutions. Change, improvement, and trial and error are the principles. Nature is simply brilliant; everything is connected and complex and does not want perfection but uniqueness.
We are part of nature, unique, beautiful creatures with all our supposed flaws.
“One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn’t exist…..Without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist.”- Stephen Hawking.
What if everything would be perfect? Life would be boring, and we would not strive for improvement. Whatever we do, we can make it better over time and progress.
Read > What Nature Teaches Us About Perfect Imperfection.
To banish imperfection is to destroy expression, to check exertion, to paralyze vitality.- John Ruskin
Get started on your work.
Don’t overwhelm yourself by demanding that everything be perfect before you start. You waste your time if you think you can only begin doing something once everything is in line. The ideal time to start is when you feel the time is right.
Take action. Perhaps you need training, a course, or further education beforehand. You may still need to do some exercise and improve your skills. But take your time; you will never be perfectly prepared, and your actions can be flawed. You can improve it over time. It would be much better to improve the work gradually after it is completed. Be innovative.
Perfection stands in the way of progress. Reduce your expectations to do everything perfectly right away. It holds you back from taking action steps.
Be you; be perfectly imperfect instead.
Be consciously imperfect
The biggest criticism is usually within ourselves. You don’t need your perfectionism to achieve goals. It just wastes your time and energy. It obscures the view of the things that are really important in life: time with family and friends, social engagement, and serenity.
No comparing
Everybody has different strengths and talents in a thousand combinations. That’s what makes us all unique. Everybody has challenges we may not know about. So comparing doesn’t help. Others are different, but not better or worse than ourselves.
Start small!
Try more often to overlook your shortcomings. If you focus only on striving for perfection, you see mistakes as failures and lose sight of the beautiful, successful things in your life. Do your best and do it the best you can: no more and no less. Be grateful for the small accomplishments.
The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself. – Anna Quindlen
Time to Discover Your True Self and Help to Create a Better World
Perfection of character is this: to live each day as if it were your last, without frenzy, without apathy, without pretense.― Meditations
Are you a perfectionist? Then I hope you start letting it go and pay attention to what is really important in Life 🙂 >Treasure Your Uniqueness by Dorothy Williams
Are you suffering, or are you living?
Meditation always helps
Download your FREE Zen12 – try a simple 12-minute program
This is a beautiful and important message, especially in today’s world where there’s so much pressure to achieve perfection. It’s refreshing to be reminded that self-acceptance and embracing our flaws are crucial for self-love and healthy relationships.
I would be interested in reading more about the author’s journey towards self-compassion. Sharing personal experiences can be a powerful way to connect with readers and make the message even more impactful.