You Were Born to Be Happy, Not Perfect

So many of us strive for perfection in our daily lives.

In the media and all around us, we are continually exposed to images of the perfect body, the perfect family, the perfect career, the perfect life, and the perfect home.

The pressure to be perfect can sometimes feel overwhelming, and this can cause us to make an enormous effort to ensure that nobody finds out what’s really going on “behind the scenes” of our life.

Many of us spend a great deal of energy hiding what we perceive as our imperfections from those around us. We don’t want others to know that we’re not perfect!

We also often engage in negative self-talk, such as:

• “Why do I keep messing up? I’m such an idiot!”
• “I’ll never get ahead professionally, I just don’t have the education.”
• “No one will love me if I continue to weigh what I weigh.”

No one is perfect, and yet, we are having our own perfect experience. It suits us. It teaches us. It brings us joy or it teaches us a lesson.

Perfection isn’t the end goal, PROGRESS is.

We are meant to be progressive, growing, expanding, evolving beings. When we are experiencing growth, this is when we feel the most ALIVE.

This is why I recommend that, instead of focusing on perfection, choose to focus on GROWTH and how you can be in love with your life.

If you’ve found yourself engaging in negative self-talk, or in feeling that you have imperfections that you have to hide from others, let’s begin to change these perceptions.

“One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn’t exist. Without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist.”

Stephen Hawking, Physicist

I want you to love your life. But more than that, to feel confident and empowered to really unleash the unique talents and gifts that are inside of you.

Combatting the pressure to be perfect

The first step to shifting your perceptions is to…

Notice the thoughts that you’re having, and give more energy to the expansive ones

Choose to give more energy, attention, and focus to the positive, expansive thoughts, and give less energy to the ones that are contractive or negative. 

For example: What if you focused on the fact that you were born to live a life you love, not to chase “perfection”?

The second step to shifting your perceptions is to…

Be present in your interactions with people

Listen to what they have to share with you, rather than just listening from a place of wanting them to finish what they’re saying so that you can jump in and share your own thoughts and experiences.

Also, practice being a person of increase with them. Seek to contribute to the people you’re speaking to where you can, and allow them to contribute back to you.

The third step to shifting your perceptions is to…

Embrace your perceived flaws and your mistakes

What you may think of as your flaws are the things that actually make you who you are — they are beautiful, because they make you unique!

Here’s a little experiment for you to try…

For the next 30 days, anytime someone gives you a compliment, accept it!

Many of us have learned to deflect compliments. We push them aside and barely acknowledge them.

Imagine being handed a birthday present, and then just putting it to one side without even acknowledging to the gift giver that you appreciate it. Of course, you’d never do that! But this is the equivalent of deflecting a compliment.

When happiness is greater than perfectionism

There can be no “givers” if there is no one to “receive.”

Accept generosity where it is offered, such as in the form of compliments, and allow the givers in your life to experience the joy of giving to you.

So, again, for the next 30 days, anytime someone compliments you, I invite you to acknowledge it. Say, “Thank you for noticing.”

Saying this may feel a bit odd at first, but over time, you’ll find that you can actually begin accepting the generosity of others more and more easily.

However, I caution you to not base how you feel about yourself or your life on other people’s perceptions. It is your choice to choose happiness.

There is a balance between caring what people think, and then living your life according to what people think.

The messages we are exposed to in movies, magazines, TV commercials and so on are “what people think.” But it’s fiction.

You can choose to love yourself and to love your life, and someone else may feel that you or your life doesn’t measure up somehow. But in reality, this means nothing.

Be more committed to being happy than fighting the pressure to be perfect and you’ll soon experience greater joy, happiness and peace in your life.

For more proven step-by-step strategies on how to overcome fear, procrastination and limitations, so that you can create a life you truly love living with speed and ease, click here to download a copy of my FREE ebook, Stronger Than Circumstance.