PLAIN TRUTH: You will always be incredibly imperfect

Chasing perfection is a futile endeavour. It will be more rewarding to embrace your imperfection.

PHOTO| FILE

What you need to know:

  • Refusing to share your art because you are afraid of being imperfect is like sitting in an examination room and leaving your answer sheet blank because you are afraid of writing down an imperfect one.
  • You will never know if your answer was right or wrong.

I had a discussion on book writing with a friend the other day, and she shared her ambition.

When I asked her what was holding her back, she told me that she is scared of imperfection – that her opinions will change years down the line but her book will still be there, reminding her of her ‘flawed’ thought process years ago.

‘Aren’t you scared?” she wanted to know.

Of course I am scared. But I know that waiting for the day that my ideas will be perfect is like waiting for Godot. Just like Godot in that play by Samuel Beckett, that day never arrives.

That is life. It’s imperfect. Still, this should not stop us from seeing beauty around us, from improving our skills, from sharing our art.

Refusing to share your art because you are afraid of being imperfect is like sitting in an examination room and leaving your answer sheet blank because you are afraid of writing down an imperfect one.

You will never know if your answer was right or wrong.

YOU ARE IMPERFECT

You are imperfect. That is a fact. All is not lost though. You will find power in awareness.

If you think that you will only be able to inspire others when you become perfect, look around. The most empowering and inspiring stories I have heard are stories told by imperfect individuals.

The catch is that they have learnt to embrace their imperfections. Some of them, like stand-up comedians, even exploit these imperfections for good.

This goes for all areas of your life. That man whose image you have etched in your mind doesn’t exist. That perfect couple that pops in your head when you hear of a perfect relationship, they have problems. Instead of chasing perfect, think of a relationship as loving a particular set of imperfections. The upside is that in love, you get to choose the set of imperfections you stay with.

There is no such thing as a perfect body, even in this era of plastic surgery. Magazines, television shows and billboards will try to tell you otherwise but it just isn’t the truth. The truth is that even the woman on the magazine cover in actual life does not look like the woman on the magazine cover.

Even your dream job will not be perfect. It may pay you tons of money and in it you might get to pursue your passion every single day, but there will be bad days when you will wonder whether it is worth it. And that’s alright.

I’m not saying that we should settle for mediocre. No. By all means, strive to get better, strive to improve yours skills. But do not buy into this pressure for perfection. Go for that relationship, pursue your dreams but expect imperfection along with your successes.

If you are an artist with this fear of imperfection, then you will never get to share your art with the world. You may be holding back, waiting for the future. But even the future is imperfect.