Perfectionism is boring

'Good enough'?

We've all been there - rewriting the same sentence 10 times until it looks just right, obsessing over minute details and hesitating to try new things because what if you're not 'good enough'? Honestly, I've had it with the term 'good enough'! While it may seem like something to work towards, it gives off the completely wrong impression. So many of us fail to see how holding ourselves to the standard of 'good enough' is degrading and neglecting everything that you already are and all your efforts to get to this point. But you know what? As enticing as having it all together seems, and as much as you try and correlate perfectionism with control over things, it really is quite the opposite. If you really think about it, 'Perfectionism' is..... kind of boring.

We like to believe that being a perfectionist puts the reins in our hands and gives us control and power over our lives, but the truth is that being perfect has nothing to do with taking control of your life. We tend to forget that we can only exert control over our internal conflicts and efforts, but external outcomes, reactions, and perceptions are all extremely subjective things that even a said perfectionist cannot control. So no matter how much you edit and delete, no matter how many drafts you create, no matter how much you plan, life will always have a way of surprising you, which frankly, is the best part.

The creativity killer

Often when we are stuck in perfectionism mode, we give ourselves no room to experiment, explore, or falter. These processes, while they may seem like hindrances, are the bane of creativity, which we strip away from ourselves in an attempt to fit into a stereotyped phrase such as 'perfection'. Perfectionism as we know it is the creativity killer, often causing us to lose all our uniqueness and spontaneity. We often neglect our innovative process, but the truth is that some of the best ideas originate from chaos, mistakes, and random thoughts which make zero sense at first. Stuck in this loop of striving for perfectionism, we stop trying to be fresh and different and begin to fall into a general category of 'success' or 'failure'.

It is true that perfectionism can seem extremely rewarding from a third person's perspective, but in reality, perfectionism can be draining and exhausting, coming with its different set of pressures. Trying to be perfect is like burdening yourself with an invisible weight that no one asked you to carry. And the worst part? It's never over - You hit one goal and you have the next, you put all your energy into one thing and then you have to do it all over again... does that sound rewarding? Because to me it sounds simply like unnecessary rigor and exhaustion. Letting go of a perfectionist mindset is not lowering your standards or expecting less of yourself, it is merely giving yourself permission to breathe.

In my opinion, perfection is too generic a term that doesn't allow any individuality. What appeals to me more is authenticity. It is rare that you'll be inspired by somebody who has everything together; while we may envy them, inspiration is a different ordeal. Personally, I feel that being flawed and real are more relatable and inspiring traits than being perfect any day. Perfect is generic and predictable, but imperfect is honest.

Final thoughts

Today's world is obsessed with perfectionism; perfect career, perfect academic record, perfect relationships. The pressure of having it all together is unnecessary, especially when it's all a ruse. Letting go of these idealistic expectations means being willing to try different paths and live on your own terms without having to prove anything to anyone, especially yourself. Your self-worth should in no way be tied to things out of your control, and surely not perfectionism. Self-worth is often treated as something to earn while in truth it is something to recognize.

At the end of the day, not striving for perfectionism doesn't mean you stop caring. It means you start living. Living practically while making errors and openly having flaws, not needing to overthink and fix everything to an unrealistic and demeaning standard of good enough. You are not defined by how perfect you are, you are defined by how fallible and real you are, be it with others or yourself. The strive for perfectionism puts our lives on hold to wait for that perfect, ideal moment where you 'have it all sorted', but in reality, it's an endless wait because life never stops being unpredictable, and to learn to embrace the flow of imperfection is to start experiencing the beauty of it. Perfectionism is boring, boring because the moment you let go of that word, that sentiment of being not good enough is when life really begins to 'happen'. And let's face it, where's the fun in being as predictable as perfect?