Imperfectly Perfect
Who wants to be “perfect” anyway?!
The weight of “perfection” is too heavy to bear! It will limit you at best and crush you at worst.
I am not a psychologist or counselor…but I am a recovering perfectionist. For too long, I carried unrealistic, unhealthy, and frankly uninformed expectations of perfection that led to unnecessary pressure and stress. Even worst, it sometimes led to missed opportunities. You don’t see this initially, but when you take a moment to look back (and sometimes you don’t have a choice), you’ll learn the age-old lesson of hindsight is 20/20.
One of those hindsight moments happened in 2014 when I saw this captivating sand sculpture (pictured above) titled with these poetic words perfectly flawed.
As I slowly walked around the sculpture, I saw words that resonated with me like — “cautious,” “touchy,” “quiet,” “procrastinator,” “shy,” “tardy,”…all things that I saw as imperfections in myself! I must have stayed at this one sculpture for at least 10 minutes just absorbing all that the artist was conveying in this poignant piece.
It was the 1st time — but it wouldn’t be the last — that I began to accept not just my flaws and imperfections, but I also accepted the flaws and imperfections of others. Now, acceptance doesn’t mean I don’t work to improve in these areas. For me, acceptance brought freedom!
Thank God I was saved from the trap of perfection.
It brought freedom to make mistakes and be okay with it…as long as I learned from them!
It brought freedom from the need to please others in order to make up for perceived imperfections.
Most importantly, it brought the freedom in knowing everyone has flaws…E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E…so you do not have to feel less than OR greater than anyone else because we are all imperfectly perfect!
Evidently, I needed to be reminded of the powerful lesson I learned in 2014, because I saw this beautiful quote recently on Facebook that I have to share with you here:
You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously. ~ Sophia Bush
Chew on that for a minute!
So here I am. Working on this new version of me that is emerging.
The aspiring writer and entrepreneur.
The late bloomer.
The cautious risk-taker.
The creative thinker.
Realizing that the one who created me loves ALL OF ME with my perfect imperfections as John Legend sings it. And guess what? I love this me too!
If you are a recovering perfectionist like I am — because let’s be honest — I can easily fall back into old habits or ways of thinking because I value excellence. Every now and then you need a reminder to help you stay free of the trap and the weight of perfection whether that’s a sand sculpture, a picture, a song, or even a social media post.
Here is your reminder from me — The weight of “perfection” is too heavy to bear! It will limit you at best and crush you at worst. LIVE FREE!!!
I would love to hear from you on how you have overcome (or are overcoming) the “perfection trap”; I’m still a work in progress.
You can find me on IG @sipandreadkeisha or contact me at sipreadgrow@gmail.com.
