IT’S OKAY NOT TO BE GOOD AT EVERYTHING
Oh, how liberating it is
to pursue wholeness over perfection.
One of the best ways to overcome perfectionism is by recognizing that you don't have to be good at everything. Once we can start with the idea that we're not going to do well in every area, then this gives us permission and encouragement for trying new things without doing it perfectly. A lot of people are afraid or unwilling because they would rather avoid pursuing anything if there's a chance their efforts won’t work out how they want them to. What happens instead is these people miss out on all sorts of growth opportunities as well as real wisdom from trying different things and getting different outcomes.
Think about the people you’ve looked up to in your life, whether it’s someone you know in real life or a favorite author or designer. We all admire them and learn from their wisdom. But imagine if they had done everything perfectly? You wouldn't be able to relate to anything that person said because of how different our lives are! If they never failed, there would be no way for us to connect on an emotional level with what has been shared by this perfect individual who's experienced every outcome imaginable without any pain at all.
The people that we actually end up connecting within this life are the ones that have shown us that there is no way to do something perfectly. They are the ones who reveal to us what's impossible even when we’re in the lowest valley. The more someone only focuses on everything they’ve done right, the harder they are to actually relate to. We are humans, so we relate to humanness. Remember this when your outcomes aren’t what you want them to be - this is a part of what makes you human. It’s okay. You’ll keep learning more and more about your process as you go. With time, you’ll learn where to challenge yourself and then, where to let go and just let things be. This takes time. But it’s worth it to live this way. It’s worth it to keep living to experience the beauty of wholeness over perfection.
So here’s a little reminder to allow things to not go according to plan. We have to allow room for things to not go according to plan so that we can become awake to what needs to change and also what we want to have gratitude for, as it is.
The idea that we are going to give our all in life and still deal with imperfections can be daunting, but at the same time, it can be pleasantly surprising when we discover that when we surrender the desire for perfection we find a life worth living for. We experience wholeness over perfection.
Word of the Day: Wholeness (n): the state of forming a complete and harmonious whole; unity (Oxford Languages)
Affirmation: I will value the beauty of wholeness over perfection.
Journal: When do you feel the most pressure to get everything right? Write down what you need to remember when you start to feel that pressure.
More in this week's series called "Hope For The Winding Path”, only with a subscription in the Storyteller App.
Sincerely,
Morgan Harper Nichols
@thestorytellerco
@morganharpernichols
