Forget Perfection!
By
Cottage Ruins
Often people are afraid to start something new or do anything at all because of perfection. It might involve waiting for circumstances to be perfect to start a project, or wanting to do everything perfectly once you do start. Perfection is paralyzing! It is also boring and deadening. It is probably impossible to do something perfectly, and anyway just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, perfection is also in the eye of the beholder. Forget perfection, and instead have fun, experiment, make mistakes, learn, expand and live your life!
“Live life fully while you’re here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You’re going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don’t try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human”.
Anthony Robbins, Self-Help Author and Motivational Speaker
There is No Perfect Time to Start
If you are waiting for the perfect time to start something, you will be waiting a long time. Circumstances are constantly changing, and when you accomplish something on your “to-do” list, something else crops up to fill its place. Just start whatever it is you want to start, whether it is writing a book, taking a class at the local community college, or whatever else is dear to your heart. A book gets written one page at a time, and a painting gets completed stroke by stroke.
When you start something and take action, the initial baby step leads to another baby step which ultimately leads to a path of action that you might not have even anticipated at the outset. Jack Canfield, America’s success coach uses an example of a speedboat moving through the water and creating waves at the side and back of the boat. He states “You just begin, and the path of opportunities just keeps unfolding in front of and to the side of you”.
When it comes to starting a creative project, we often put this off, waiting for a huge block of time to magically appear so we can write the great American novel or paint a masterpiece. However, if we suddenly find we miraculously do have a chunk of time, we are often panicked and sabotage ourselves and don’t create anyway. So what if the house is a mess and you need to run some errands. Block out even a half hour or an hour and at least start.
Perfection is in the Eye of the Beholder
When we do decide to take action and get started on our projects, whether personal or professional, often we want the final outcome to be perfect. The thing is, how do you define perfection? One person’s idea of perfection is different from another’s. Anyway why even bother about perfection? Why not settle for “good enough” at least sometimes. It can be exhausting to always have to do everything excellently. I remember when I was in college, I always wanted to get an “A” grade in each class. It was such a relief when I gave myself permission to just do my best and not worry about the outcome.
Even great art masterpieces, when viewed with special ultraviolet cameras show the many revisions the artist had to make in the creation of what appears to be an “effortless” masterpiece.
Self-Esteem and Perfection
When you want to do something perfectly, you are in danger of damaging your self esteem. Often we feel we are not “good enough” and therefore we want to prove ourselves by doing things perfectly. Maybe we can do some things really well, but it is impossible for anyone to do everything perfectly. Be gentle on yourself! Do your best, work through any mistakes or obstacles, and then forget about it.
Advertising places enormous pressure on us to be perfect. There is make-up for a “flawless” complexion, models are air-brushed to look almost super human, and there is subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) social programming in many advertisements and programs. Have a clear sense of yourself and your own unique abilities and beauty. Don’t be too influenced by the media or others. Why not turn off the TV at least once in a while, and do something creative instead?
The desire for perfection can be deadening and many times can prevent us from even starting something in the first place. Forget perfection and just start what you want to do, and when you do start just do your best and forget the rest!
What would you start in your life right now if you quit waiting for circumstances to be perfect?
If you did not have to do something perfectly, what would you be willing to try?
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