Stop striving for Perfection

I often listen people talking about the perfect job, the perfect life, the perfect attitude. I have been one of those for a long time. I have always tried to hand in the perfect report during my college years, I have always done my best to get the perfect grade, to be the perfect friend.

Nonetheless perfection can never be achieved. It can be seen as a guide, as an idealized way to accomplish everything we engage in. But still it can never be reached.

I have started to believe that perfection is often used as excuse. Many people just don’t act because they are afraid of failure, because they know they cannot be perfect.

Looking around us we can see plenty of example of successful people, we admire them, we regret not being as good as they are. If instead we focus our attention on their actions, on their purposes, we would simply find out they are just like us. They are far from being perfect, they do mistakes, they struggle, they fail, they try again and again.

To be like them, to be the successful person we ought to be, we need to follow their example, we need to give up the idea of perfection. As we give up the idea that we need to wait for the perfect situation, that we need the perfect colleagues, that we need the perfect idea, we can effectively start to act and make small steps toward the goals we want to achieve, toward the life we want to live.

All of this is painful, extremely painful. We all grew up with the idea that everything is going to be awesome, that once we detect our path everything will get easier. This is another foolish concept. The right way is the way that inspires us, the way that makes ourselves feel alive and satisfied, but it is also the tough way, the way of struggling and uncertainty. In order to make a contribution we need to risk, to face our fears, to be ready to lose everything.

Realise that nothing is going to be perfect and embark your true path with no fear nor idealistic expectations, the reward will be amazing.