The Absolute Joy of Knowing You Will Never Be Perfect

There is nothing quite like the feeling of relief you experience when you realize you will never be perfect. It’s a weight lifted and your lungs seem to expand more when you breathe. It’s like being reborn and getting to just be, which is all any of us should really strive for.

Perfectionism is suffocating. And the sooner you rid yourself of it, the easier it is to do what you want to do in life.

To me, perfectionism is a party where everyone is there and pretending to enjoy themselves. “Isn’t this just the best?” you hear someone ask. You nod. You don’t really feel that way. But it’s a party, and small talk is what is required of you, not truth.

So you wander around, the room glowing and bright, so many smiling faces and so many people that it feels like there isn’t enough air. The music is too loud and the drinks are too sweet.

You know you need to step outside and collect yourself, and then you can come back in.

But the second you step outside, the cool night air washes over you, a cleansing chill. You breathe it in deep. It feels crisp and clear. That coolness starts to chip away at the suffocating warmth you felt in the party, like a wave lapping against the grains of sand on the shore, slowly pulling away layers and layers that have built up over time.

You realize then that you can’t go back into the party.

You walk away into the night, just you and all the others who have wandered away over the years. It’s time to make a party where you can actually have fun.

You Will Never Be Perfect…

At our core, we all know we’ll never be perfect. Maybe you were the best at a thing once in your life, but how big was the pool of contestants? Were you the best in the world?

Probably not.

You will never be perfect because there are too many variables to account for. You will never be perfect because you actually were never meant to be.

Many of the “you will never be perfect” quotes try to focus on what you are in that moment. And that’s fine. I think it’s important to be reminded that you are enough and that you have inherent worth.