A Perfect Mess
“When you aim for perfection, you discover it is a moving target.”
~Geoffrey F. Fisher
Perfection is a state that many of us hope to achieve in all that we do, there is a certain pressure on all of us to be as good as the next person at one or many different task. I think of the humorous mems on the internet where there is a side by side photograph of some crafty item like a cupcake decorated as a snowman that would be worthy of a magazine cover…then the photo of a cupcake that looks like a scoop of ice cream left to melt in the mid-day sun…the epic caption over the blob usually reads “FAIL” in bold letters. I, too, have been a victim of seeing some wonderful item online and giving it a try only to have it turn out far from the original finished product and then that feeling of inadequacy and embarrassment raises its ugly head and makes me feel a little dumb for trying it in the first place. How many of you have ever experienced this? If you’re not all nodding your head, you need to get out of your comfort zone more often!
Perfectionism is a feeling that we all have at one time or another and what’s worse, we mistakenly project this feeling to be perfect onto our kids. There is this pressure to be perfect at work, at school, and in play. We are bombarded with images of other people living perfect lives and we feel that in order to be happy we must mimic those who we perceive to be perfect. There is a fine line here, there is a difference between striving for excellence and expecting perfection. Kids (and sometimes adults) get these notions mixed up and as you well know, no one is perfect and to strive for perfection only leads to a life of dissatisfaction. Life is messy, life has ups and downs, we trip, we stumble, and sometimes we fall…the important thing to glean from these imperfect moments in life are to pick yourself up and learn from the moment. A quote from Psychologytoday.com puts it this way, “In your tasks and activities, instead of pressuring yourself to be perfect every step of the way, see who you are and what you do as a work in progress, with flexibility for adjustments and refinement. Often times, it’s important and healthy to simply say that something you have done is “sufficient,” “acceptable,” “satisfactory,” or “a step in the right direction,” and move on without ruminating over imperfections. It’s helpful to let others know that this is your approach as well, to free yourself from the pressure (and trap) of having to appear perfect. Use terms such as “brainstorm,” “experiment,” “work in progress,” or “refinement process,” when describing your endeavors. There’s power in being flexible. The rigid is more breakable.”
I love that last two sentences…there is power in flexibility because the rigid is more breakable. Moving forward into the weekend, take time and explain the difference to your kids or stand in front of the mirror and explain it to yourself. I think that if you can take the pressure off yourself or take the pressure off of your kids, you might all have a happier existence and isn’t that what we all want for ourselves and our families, for everyone to be happy? There are many reasons to accept the frailties of our humanity…we all make mistakes…we must learn to accept this as part of life and then move forward with living life without the fear of failure. I hope this post reaches that part of you that expects perfection and that you are able to think about the benefits of less stress and the happiness it might bring to you or your family’s life. As always, thanks for reading, I hope everyone enjoys an imperfect and stress free weekend. If you find these post valuable or informative, please, I encourage you to visit our Facebook page and sign up your email account and then I can send these post directly to you via email. If you have any questions or have a topic that you would like me to write about, please feel free to drop me a line at wmreid@bhcshealth.com or visit our website bhcshealth.com. Take care of yourself and each other, remember, we’re all in this together.
Wm Reid
Best Home Care Services
325 N Eastern Ave
Connersville, IN 47331
765-827-9833
wmreid@bhcshealth.com