Forget perfectionism. You’re still growing.

I usually hate cheesy, ‘motivational’ posts like this. But bear with me. I’m having a moment.

I am used to be a perfectionist. With perfectionism comes constant self-evaluation, the inability to enjoy anything you do, and eventually, inertia. Perfectionists get stuck on the most minute details. They cannot move forward effectively because they spend too much time thinking about what they did wrong, or what could go wrong. The quest for being perfect will leave your goals on the “to do” list instead of on your list of accomplishments.

I’m not quite sure when it happened but I have been cured of this disease. I’m more creative, productive, and happy than I have been in YEARS. You know the kind of happiness where it scares you because you KNOW something bad has to be around the corner? The kind that feels surreal because you can’t trace the source?

I wish I could tell you exactly how I got here, or how to get here. I can’t. But I do know that I have found freedom in choosing to not get bogged down by the minutiae of life. Instead of worrying about the million and one variables I cannot control, I’ve been focusing on getting things done. Period.

I used to scoff at people who would say things like, “Done is better than perfect.” Now I know those people were right. Of course I want to do things excellently, but the desire for excellence should never trump the willingness to try. I can’t even count the number of opportunities I’ve wasted because I was waiting on the “right time” to do something. Newsflash: it doesn’t exist.

So here’s my little piece of unsolicited advice for you today: give yourself permission to make a mistake. Learn from it. Then move on.

Whatever you’re stressing about now will probably be a faded memory by next year anyway. And if it’s not, that’s ok. You will make it through eventually. Accept that you are going to make mistakes. When you do, be kind to yourself. Remind yourself that you are still growing. Learn the lesson life is trying to teach you and keep going. Don’t get stuck. Don’t leave things unfinished or unstarted because you’re waiting for the perfect time, or the perfect conditions. Don’t leave things unfinished or unstarted because you’re waiting for the perfect time... Click To Tweet

One of the characteristics of perfectionists is that they need an answer for everything. There’s a great quote from (one of my favourite books) Their Eyes Were Watching God that comes to mind:

There are years that ask questions and years that answer.

I thought about this quote as I was reading through some of my journal entries from last summer. All I could do was laugh at the state of mind I was in. I’m amazed at how much growth I’ve made in one year (and slightly alarmed at the minuscule issues I let stress me out). Perhaps the difference between me then, and me now, is I am finally in a year that answers. I also know that my youth will be filled with more questions than answers, and I’m learning to embrace that.

If you’re going through a rough time, you might be in one of those years that ask questions. Trust that the answers will come. They will. If you doubt that, think about a major hurdle you overcame in the past. If you could make it through that, then why not this?

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