I'm Sorry, I Can't Be Perfect

Hello All,

I was bored the other day and was finding random things to keep my attention, so I decided to go through my notes app on my phone. I came across one from 2022. It stated, “It isn’t about perfection it’s about progress.” 

This was the entirety of the note. No context. No clue as to who said these words. But here I am 3 years later reading the words that must have resonated with me then, and still today. 

I have always struggled with perfection. I believe that if I can’t do something perfectly, then I just shouldn’t even attempt to do it. I have given up on so many things because of a simple mistake. I let it consume me and tell myself that I have already failed so what’s the point of continuing? Or the fear of failure or being laughed at for a potential mistake keeps me from actually doing the thing. 

This happens a lot when I go line dancing. I will not get on the dance floor unless I know the dance perfectly. 

I have given up on so many exercise and diet plans for a lot of reasons, but the biggest is it always gets hard, and I miss a day and convince myself that I missed one day so I’ve already messed up the whole thing. 

With my writing, every time I get a rejection letter, I feel so dejected that nobody is ever going to want to publish my work, so why even keep writing? 

I could list a million other areas of my life where I let the fear of failure, and the desire of perfection skew my perception. But I am sure that you already have your own personal list going through your mind also. 

When I saw this note in my phone, it was a great reminder for me that God did not call me to perfection. He actually knows that I will never be perfect, can never be perfect, and have to rely on Him. 

I am constantly trying to grow in this area of my faith and in my daily life. I’m trying to remind myself that even if I miss one workout, or binge on snacks, it is okay. It is one day and I can get back on track. Even when I miss a week worth of workouts or fall back into unhealthy eating habits, I am trying to remind myself that it is okay. Life gets in the way of what we think we need to do, it gets busy and something has to give somewhere. And that is okay. I am not a superhuman who can do everything. And neither are you. 

When it comes to my writing I am focusing on praying for the right person to represent my book. I know God gave me this book to write for a reason. The audience is for Him to figure out. If my book only reaches those few people who have read it before its publication, then I choose to believe those are the people who needed to hear the message. Of course, I will be disappointed to never get published but as author David Borofka recently said at an event, “The writing was the be all and end all, not my name on a cover.” The writing is what is important, getting the story to the people who need it most, not seeing my name on the cover. At the end of the day, this is a talent God has given me for His glory, not my own.

Life is never going to be perfect. There is always going to be something I feel I can do better. Something I can improve on. I’m always going to make mistakes. And that’s okay. As long as I am trusting God in every situation. But life is about progress. As long as I am not staying stagnant in any area of my life, then I am on the right track. As long as I am asking God for His guidance, and follow the guidance given then I am exactly where I am supposed to be.