Progress, Not Perfection
It’s so easy to get lost in the throes of perfectionism. The frustration of feeling like you or something you’re doing is never good enough. Comparing yourself or what you’re working on to other people and feeling defeated. Not being able to start something because you believe you’re not capable enough to do it. Not being able to finish something because there’s always something you could improve.
It’s exhausting. It’s draining. I’ve slowly been trying to recover from perfectionism for a few years now but I still struggle with it. I get frustrated sometimes because I want to jump to the end result where I’ve accomplished or finished the thing and it’s overwhelming to realize how much further there is to go. But the whole point of the destination is the journey. And I have to remind myself sometimes how much I actually love the process, because it’s easy for my mind to convince me that I’m having a terrible time or it’s not worth it.
The way the world is nowadays, with the instant gratification of social media and being able to buy and stream anything you want at any time, is making it harder and harder for us to have the patience to do things. A lot of things take time, and that’s normal. Whether you’re learning a skill, obtaining a degree, reading a book, sitting in a waiting room, trying to lose weight, building a house, growing a garden… Most things just take time. All of this rush rush rush, hurry up or you’ll fall behind, you’ll lose your chance, there’s no time to waste go go go is not healthy or helpful. Don’t even get me started on comparing our life to other people’s.
We no longer honour our own rhythm and paces, and the natural rhythm and pace of a lot of things in life. It’s not natural to only honour our masculine energy of doing and acting. Chronic stress, illness, and burnout is on the rise because we’re not meant to only be in that kind of energy. We need to honour our feminine energy too, of flowing and allowing, of slowing down. There’s a time and a place for both. Always doing doesn’t feel good. Never taking action doesn’t feel good either.
Don’t let the narratives sway you from your path. It’s okay to take your time. It’s okay to be messy, to do things imperfectly. Give yourself the grace of making mistakes and learning. Give yourself the opportunity to grow. If you fall off the wagon, don’t give up, just pick yourself up and try again. You’ll get so much farther than you realize by stumbling along a path, tripping and falling, than you will if you never start.