12 October 2021

If you have any contact with social media, you may have noticed how everyone is striving to be perfect online. Suddenly you cannot post a selfie without at least one additional filter or some type of editing. Possibly even going out for dinner without showing your curated plate of food are some of the images I have seen myself. There was even one or two pictures that I saw where the dog in the picture had to look perfect.

What if you just decided to take a step away from all the competition, all that clamoring for likes and hearts? What if you chose merely to enjoy your life without sharing it with the world? Here is how you can reclaim your life and be happier by using some quite simple steps as below. 

1.     Stop judging

You can decide right now to stop analysing other people, looking for what is wrong with their face or their body or their life choices. Refocus your attitude, so you stop seeing a difference as a flaw but as merely something that makes that person unique. 

Just let go of the urge to criticise others, and you will notice a flow-on effect on how you see yourself. 

2.     Accept your imperfection

Wanting to be the best version of yourself is different from being a perfectionist. A perfectionist is never happy with who they are, how they look, or how they are doing. Being your personal best means you work hard, you try, and you do not give up. But it does not mean you blame yourself when things are not perfect, and you do not take failure personally.

3.     Relax and enjoy the process

Perfectionists tend to trip over every little detail and allow imperfections to spoil their lives. When you embrace imperfection as a natural part of life, it frees you up to enjoy the ride. 

Obstacles become challenges that make life more enjoyable. You can slow down and notice all the good things there are in your life.

4.     Adopt imperfection as a way of life

Once you make peace with imperfection, you can be a lot more objective about life. Your perspectives changes, and what once seemed overwhelmingly important suddenly does not matter so much. All experiences become just another aspect of a life lived richly, that build the person you are continually becoming. 

Stop Avoiding Imperfection

Imperfection stops being something to avoid at all costs. Think about it like this: perfection implies it is something you must achieve, and you must tend to. It is fragile and vulnerable. It puts an end to growth and prevents you focusing on reality where nothing is completely perfect. And then what? You do not want to stop learning, growing, and developing, do you? Embracing imperfection means there is always an opportunity to learn, grow and become an even better person than you were yesterday, last week and even last month. Imperfection leaves an open-ended pathway towards growth and leads to an increase in your overall happiness.