Impossible Perfection

Impossible perfection, the elusive gold ring so many strain to reach on a daily basis.  "Oh piffle and poo, if only it was perfect.  It's just not perfect.  I can't share it, sell it, submit it, reveal it...because of that one tiny speck of imperfection.

Look.  There.  Do you see it?  No? Oh, look closer! Here's a magnifying glass...now...now do you see why it's not good enough?"



Let me assure you that the people who succeed aren't perfect.  No one is perfect.  Even those who have built entire brands around impossible perfection are not, in fact, perfect.  Even Mary Poppins was only "practically perfect in every way" which still falls short of perfectly perfect.

The people who succeed turn imperfection into opportunity. 

So many of us don't dare, risk, reach because we're paralyzed by our fear of being imperfect and that's a sad thing indeed.

Because imperfection, flaws, mistakes, blemishes, scars, freckles and blotches are fascinating.  They're inviting.  They let other people know it's okay to be imperfect.  They make us real.

And yes, if you put yourself out there for scrutiny, imperfect, insecure people will sometimes point at your imperfections and snicker.  So be it.  It's simply because they're unable or unwilling to accept their own.

I received an email from someone yesterday who wanted to thank me for helping them give themselves permission to be blissfully imperfect.  They'd been holding back on submitting their design work for the past few years because of a professional development session they attended where they were told that unless their work was perfect, they should never show or submit it.

Good grief.

For me, personally, the fight between relentless impatience and impossible perfection is a daily struggle.  I, too, find myself obsessing over the tiny flaws in the tapestry and therefore failing to see the overall beauty.  The internet doesn't help, spend a few hours on Pinterest and it's very easy to start to feel as if you're the only one who isn't practically perfect in every way.

Pobody's nerfect.

Showing the seams allows others to embrace their "imperfection" and more than that, it helps us all realize that perfection, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.  Absolute perfection is impossible, and irrelevant.  Strive for beauty, truth, transparency and let perfect go.

"She had an unparalleled gift of squeezing big mistakes into small opportunities."  Henry James

Love
Madge

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