You Don’t Have To Be Perfect, You Can Be Good

Life is stressful. We have to keep up with work, school, friends, and family, not to mention washing dishes, cleaning the house, and cooking meals. Every day, we face so much pressure from outside influences, particularly the media, to be perfect that it often feels like we just don’t measure up. We let ourselves believe that if we just achieve a certain look or a certain lifestyle, we will somehow be happier, more accepted by friends, and more loved by others.

If you’re like me, you don’t look like the model in the magazine. Or maybe you’re feeling less than perfect because you didn’t get the best grade in class; your neighbor has a newer car than you; your best friend just got an amazing job, or everyone around you is getting engaged and starting families.

I’m here to tell you that perfection doesn’t matter. You won’t always fit into your favorite jeans, land your dream job, find the love of your life at a young age, or have the highest grade. And all of that is okay. Sometimes, it’s okay to just be good.

Stress, Anxiety, and Being Perfect

Meeting the expectations of being perfect is nearly impossible. Trying to live up to the version of perfect that you or somebody else has created can leave you feeling more stressed, depressed, and ready to throw in the towel. Nobody wants to feel like they aren’t enough. Nobody wants to feel like a failure. This kind of stress and anxiety works its way into other areas of your life and can manifest itself as arguments with your loved ones, unexpected tears, and general unhappiness. When you feel that way, it’s okay to admit it. Recognize it, but remember that these problems are rooted in your quest to be perfect.

Accepting Your Imperfection

As previously mentioned, our lives are already stressful with long hours at the office, not enough sleep the night before, bills to pay, and household chores. These problems are multiplied when you’re also faced with impossible-to-meet expectations. Stop pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion because you’re worried about what other people might think. You are not perfect, and you don’t have to be.

The next step is accepting your imperfection. Take a deep breath, relax, and start focusing on what is good in your life. Being good is enough; don’t worry about being anything more than that. As Maya Angelou said, “You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody.”^[1]

Perfect Won’t Make You Happier

Stop searching for perfection in what you don’t have. Fitting into those jeans, driving a new car, getting a promotion… These things will not make you happier. Why? Because once you have them, you’ll want more. There will always be something else in your life that isn’t quite perfect. Something more to work on or to improve. Achieving these social expectations is not evidence of your self-worth.

Criticize Yourself Less Often

Again, you do not have to be perfect. Being good, being you, and accepting the not perfect version of yourself is enough. Criticize yourself less often and stop comparing your life to others. To do this, try thinking about what in your life makes you happy now. Every morning, think of something good from the day before.

Don’t give up your struggle to be a better you, but do give up the idea that you should somehow be perfect. Be realistic in the goals you set for yourself. Remember, nobody is perfect. Love that about yourself. It’s what makes you unique from the rest of the world.

Featured photo credit: Pexels via pixabay.com