“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence” – Vince Lombardi
Perfection. The art of doing everything right, at the right time, in the right place, in the best possible way, always. That’s how I define perfection personally.
It’s an unlivable standard, something impossible to us mortal beings. Only one person in history was ever thought of to be perfect and that is Jesus. Now, I don’t care what your thoughts are on religion, but you cannot fail to see the impact this one man had on the world even millennia after he passed.
I pulled this quote from online, after trying to find a way to express my thoughts on perfection, and as a former perfectionist, I have quite a few.
First off, I would like to give a little background. I have always been a people pleaser, someone who does things not only for other people, but will put myself at a disadvantage to not bother anyone else. This is a sad unsustainable life, not something I would wish on my worst enemy. Perfectionism is on the basis of self-shame, especially when it’s uncalled for. Now I don’t like shame as a whole, but it can be useful. I’ll write about that another day.
But perfectionism, is a root to a sad, life, one that is always a struggle to keep going. You can feel the weight of the world on you, and you try and perform to the level of excellence but you cannot always accomplish that. It also wears on you, eventually bringing you down to a level of shame where you act negatively on yourself, the complete opposite of what you had in mind. But its okay, I’m here to let you know you shouldn’t have that shame.
Depp down you know you cannot always be perfect, you know that situations & circumstances can get in the way, and you DO NOT CONTROL EVERYTHING. You can only do so much.
Hear me now: The world only asks for the best you can give, not perfection. We can strive for perfection but don’t beat ourselves up if we came short. We are only human, and that’s an extraordinary thing, but we are still limited. We were created this way; if everything was perfect, I’d get bored with life real soon.
So change your mindset, look beyond the physical. Look within, look at your heart & your mind. See that you gave life your all, and the cards fell how they were supposed to. Adopt the stoic mentality, that you control your mind, and only that.
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength” – Marcus Aurelius
So look within, find strength in your mind, know you are never going to reach perfection, and see that life is not measured by outward success, but by inner strength of oneself. Do all you can do, and rest in knowing that of which you can control has been controlled, and “I shall not worry about what I cannot control”
- “I control my emotions, not my circumstances”
- “How I do anything is how I do everything”
- “I am only as free as my own discipline”
- “Be the person you want to be proud of”
- “I shall not worry about what I cannot control”