Saturday, February 23, 2013

I(')mperfect

Maybe it's okay to be imperfect...

My entire life has revolved around this theory, this idea, of reaching perfection. What exactly is "perfect"? Is it obtainable?

Today I sat in a group discussing the definition of perfectionism. We were asked to use our non-dominant hand to express what this word means to us individually. Stuck on the horror of writing with my left hand, this is all I could sputter out: "This is cruel and unusual punishment. Feeling this way manifests my perfectionism. The end." 

It looked like a three year old wrote it. To be brutally honest, I was completely disgusted. Why? Why on earth did it matter what my handwriting looked like? It was my left hand for crying out loud; what was it supposed to look like? I am not ambidextrous. Perfection was not required or even slightly expected.

"Perfectionism is a matter of opinion." What a interesting, marvelous way to put it. Now, can I make myself truly believe that? Altering what is hard-wired into my brain is not as easy as I would prefer it to be. My whole life has spun off it's axis trying to be the best, at everything, at all times. However, I cannot be happy if I'm just living to beat everyone, if I live every minute as a game: a competition to be won. There are some things in life that I should not want to be the best at, but due to this overwhelming urge, I find myself compulsed to try. 

I can say the words: "there's beauty in imperfection". Yet, I cannot force myself to comprehend or believe them. I have my flaws; I hate them, but I have them. I think I'll make a list (I like lists). Confronting my flaws will most likely be terrifying and tedious, but I'm wondering if that will allow me to put them in perspective. My mind-set needs to change; I must find the perfection in my imperfections.

I'm perfect.

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