Perfection vs Happiness

“Perfectionism is a dangerous state of mind in an imperfect world”

I’ve spent most of my life beating myself up about not being perfect. I ruminate over every little mistake, and I used to avoid many new hobbies and new adventures because I was scared I wouldn’t be any good. Fear of failure stopped me from even trying, and because of this I missed out on so many new life experiences.

But when I fell ill, perfection wasn’t an option. Apart from the fact that it’s unreachable, I just didn’t have the energy or ability to strive for perfection. I was forced to accept mediocre or “ok” or “that will do”.

Coming to terms with this was hard. I was always taught that “if you’re going to do something, do it right” and “don’t start something unless you are willing to give it 100%”. But the truth is, it’s perfectly OK to do something just for fun, without any expectations or goals. You don’t have to be good at something to enjoy it, or strive to be perfect just to rationalise your choices. Acknowledging this was quite liberating.

It has opened up so many new doors for me. I’m now able to try new things without the fear of failure. I can try new hobbies “just because”. And I’m able to write about my experiences for my blog knowing that, although my writing is far from “perfect”, it has an impact, and I enjoy it!

But, most importantly, letting go of perfection has made me reevaluate what is important in my life. My new adventures have brought me much enjoyment and I’m a happier person because of this.

I’m not saying I’ve completely let go of my need strive for perfection, my anxiety doesn’t let me. And I still ruminate over my mistakes sometimes, it’s part of my personality. But my life definitely has more balance now.

So, I urge everyone to try to ditch the notion of perfection, and embrace life along with all its messiness and unpredictability. Try new things, do what you love and strive for happiness. Take care x

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