Set Yourself Free - Letting Go of Perfection

This is such a good article that a wonderful friend shared. It is indeed a mirror to myself.

How many times have I done things just to please other people, just to seek of their approval. How many times have I smiled and laughed with other people, but was actually bitter inside. There is nothing wrong to be imperfect, no one is perfect!

I've learned that the moment I begin to accept my "disability", I've liberated myself from the mental torture that I've been putting myself through this 5 long years. I still experience the emotional downs from time to time, but I feel better about myself now by trying to keep my spirit up and by being positive - by telling myself "it's ok". And I'm so thankful to be blessed with friends who constantly remind me that I'm not an alien. :-)

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It is good to remember that one of our goals in life is to not be perfect. We often lose track of this aspiration. When we make mistakes, we think that we are failing or not measuring up. But if life is about experimenting, experiencing, and learning, then to be imperfect is a prerequisite. Life becomes much more interesting once we let go of our quest for perfection and aspire for imperfection instead.

This doesn’t mean that we don’t strive to be our best. We simply accept that there is no such thing as perfection—especially in life. All living things are in a ceaseless state of movement. Even as you read this, your hair is growing, your cells are dying and being reborn, and your blood is moving through your veins. Your life changes more than it stays the same. Perfection may happen in a moment, but it will not last because it is an impermanent state. Trying to hold on to perfection or forcing it to happen causes frustration and unhappiness.

In spite of this, many of us are in the habit of trying to be perfect. One way to nudge ourselves out of this tendency is to look at our lives and notice that no one is judging us to see whether or not we are perfect. Sometimes, perfectionism is a holdover from our childhood—an ideal we inherited from a demanding parent. We are adults now, and we can choose to let go of the need to perform for someone else’s approval. Similarly, we can choose to experience the universe as a loving place where we are free to be imperfect. Once we realize this, we can begin to take ourselves less seriously and have more fun. Imperfection is inherent to being human. By embracing your imperfections, you embrace yourself.

Be confident and proud!