Perfection Anyone?
Is anyone else out there caught up in trying to live a perfect life and/or be the perfect person? What a noble thing to strive for (kidding!). It’s easy to overlook the immense pressure it puts on us. It weighs us down, burdens us beyond what we realize. But maybe you’ve come across some wisdom like this before:
Anonymous
Written by an 85 year old man who learned he was dying.
If I had my life to live over again,
I’d try to make more mistakes next time.
I wouldn’t try to be so perfect. We all have perfection fetishes.
What difference does it make if you let people know you are imperfect?
They can identify with you then.
Nobody can identify with perfection.
I would relax more. I’d be sillier than I’ve been on this trip.
In fact, I know very few things that I would take so seriously.
I’d be crazier. I’d be less hygienic. I’d take more chances.
I’d climb more mountains. I’d watch more sunsets.
I’d go more places I’ve never seen.
I’d eat more ice cream and fewer beans.
I’d have more actual troubles and fewer imaginary ones.
You see, I was one of those people who lived sensibly and sanely
Hour after hour and day after day.
Oh, I’ve had my moments,
And if I had it to do all over again,
I’d have more of those moments.
In fact, I’d try to have nothing but beautiful moments;
Moment by moment by moment.
In case you didn’t know it,
That’s the stuff life is made of—only moments.
Don’t miss the now.
I’ve been one of those people
Who never went anywhere without a thermometer,
A hot water bottle, a gargle, a raincoat, and a parachute.
If I had it to do all over again,
I’d travel lighter next time
If I had it to do all over again,
I’d start barefoot earlier in the spring
And stay that way until later in the fall.
I’d ride more merry-go-rounds,
I’d watch more sunrises,
And I’d play with more children.
If I had it to do over again…
But how are we supposed to implement this into our daily lives?! I mean, we all want to do our best, live healthy, and try to meet expectations and criteria. How on earth is that supposed to be balanced with just living life? I don’t get it!
Society and the media don’t help either. There are such demands for perfection everywhere. I’m not only referring to looks/beauty. Everything has been refined and polished so much that pretty soon we will have robots doing jobs. It’s all about getting things exactly right, scoring high on that test, NO MISTAKES ALLOWED! Yes, that’s right. We can’t tolerate mistakes. Or blemishes. Or mess-ups. Doesn’t this take the humanness out of life?! In our Western, civilized, refined, society, I’d say that we are less human than most.
So we must get things precisely correct. In a healthy setting, this can be very beneficial and uplifting. It is a higher calling and something to reach for. Being geared towards excellence and always putting forth our best is necessary. We are all on that path. However, it is on the path where we either stick with it or deviate and potentially give up. Sometimes perfection entails a great FEAR of being wrong (again, this can be motivating). But most times it is binding. The fear freezes us so that we fail to move. We don’t want to be wrong.
I quite frankly hate to be wrong! I hate having flaws! Maybe we all do. It’s the most awful thing when someone points out that something is wrong (but sometimes it is easy to bear the comment!). It’s like being found out. Hiding inside is easy. We can cover the flaws and not let them out so that no one will take notice. However, when someone does take notice it is terrible to bear. As the above anonymous note says, “nobody can relate to perfection.” So if we are trying to radiate perfection so that no one will see the flaws, what is there for others to relate to? On the other hand, how are we to relate to people who are as they are, imperfections and all right there in front of our eyes? It works in the opposite manner. We can’t tolerate imperfections in ourselves, so then we struggle to relate to those who have what we perceive as imperfections. What’s there for us to relate to?
I’m growing… We’re all growing… I am sometimes astounded by the beauty found in messes. There’s love. There’s joy. There are other things more important to give attention to and the mess gets left as it is. Life doesn’t go as planned and things get sloppy. That’s where the “humanness” of it all comes in. The love, the feeling, the fluctuation and breath that is more of the substance of who we are. That’s when we are free to just GO! and take risks, love more freely, and bask in the enjoyment and life Jesus Christ died for!
Then the perspective will shift… Life will be more about love above anything. Beauty and enjoyment in all of their facets will come into place next. Freedom and security bursting forth to shoot us into our God-given destiny. Without an ounce of unhealthy perfection mindsets.
We need to take hold of the total love Jesus has for us and break off the bondage of fear! We must understand that we’re all going to make mistakes. Then we can just pick up the pieces and simply try again. We need a “no fear” zone where we can build resilience and confidently go forward in life. That’s why we have an unseen God Who is absolute holy and makes no mistakes!
WE ARE FREE!!!
