The Perfection of Imperfection

Perfection comes from embracing our imperfect life. How is this done? Gratitude: acknowledging that everything we have been through is perfectly designed for our learning. First, we recognize that many of us are hung up on reaching for perfection in our physical life. Worst of all, if “it’s” not perfect, we may look at ourselves as some form of failure. In search of perfection, we allow nothing in between, yet the “in between” is where the richness of lessons are that help us grow spiritually. It is the “in between” where we find our reasons for our unique life, and to discover our gifts that we are to bestow upon our world.

Let’s look at how we strive for perfection in an average day. We start our day with inner chatter that looks something like this:

1. We dissect in the morning mirror what’s not “perfect” …
2. We think about what went wrong yesterday …
3. We don’t have enough time …
4. We think about others we have to take care of …
5. As we dress, we may say “I have nothing to wear” as we look at a closet full of clothes …
6. We eat in our kitchen, we have go on a diet, we look at our home and what might be wrong with it or lacking …
7. As we leave our home, we notice what neighbors have and we have not…
8. We go to work and might think our job is not “all it could be,” “it’s not me,” “someone else has a better job” …
9. We notice a family photo on a coworker’s desk and think she has it all …
10. Yah da, Yah da, Yah da … We compare, compare, compare…

What a garbage of negative thoughts we fuel our day with. No wonder there is no energy (fuel) left to even start your present day! Talk about dis-ease.

What is at the heart of all this is self-comparison, not connecting to or energizing our spiritual life of self-magnificence? In the physical, there is always something better and something worse; it’s a no-win situation. We think if we make it perfect, we won’t be caught in that game. Comparison can be helpful if we use if for positive learning, and not for negative tearing down or criticizing. I’ll never forget when I got a “C” on that first hard test at school, where I was so grateful to have understood most of it, but quickly learned from the classroom that this grade was not “good” enough. Within a split second, I went from feeling grateful and smarter to feeling devastated and stupid. I chose to believe and energize what the outside world said (not good enough) instead of what my inner higher self knew (learning more everyday in my own gifted way): The perfection of imperfection.

Another case in point: 16 years ago, my husband and I bought our first house in Miami after years of saving. I was ecstatic choosing colors, decorating, planting, and tiling my kitchen wall. When the house was ready, we had a party to “show off” our house. As people walked in, I noticed some looks of “how could you live in such a cookie-cutter small house?” As I thought of their homes, I thought “yes, it is small.” The next day I awoke to the aroma of my new home, my favorite colors, and the gratitude and joy I felt in my new bed. I quickly remembered the night before and how I chose to jump into the world of comparisons, allowing my joy to leave. I could blame them for being shallow, but now I know they were teachers for me to learn what I was lacking: faith in myself. I am grateful.

The perfection I gained from these two experiences was the necessary ingredient to knowing myself and to developing my gifts as a compassionate group teacher and as a decorator. Pick a comparison story from your library, and see what really energized you before you started comparing: what talents were you using? Hook into that feeling that brought you joy. What lesson were you learning about your magnificent self? What are your life episodes perfectly teaching you? Become aware! Don’t get stuck in perfectionism in the outside world; you are perfect enough already. Find yourself.

We all have the choice of observing and then picking what thoughts we will energize. We can energize the physical world of comparison and envy, or we can step into our spiritual world of gratitude for our talents where the perfection of our growth lives. Now, I energize in the joy I feel while creating a workshop and experiencing the growth of my compassion; in my home, I use my natural gifts of decorating, creating beauty, and making a buck go far. What are yours?

Every one of us is born with a talent, and therefore a purpose.

Whether we use it one-on-one or in a large arena, both are equally helpful and important to our planet. Remember there is no comparison in the world of spirit; just love and creativity.

We individually are to work on the integrity of our life, then discover and work on our purpose.

Our role modeling is how we heal our world. We must be tolerant of ourselves if we want our world to be tolerant. Let go of labels and meet people heart-to-heart. Our individual lives are the roots to our world. The time has come to be self-leaders, so we don’t have to complain about who is in “power.” This starts with acceptance of the diversity of us all, which leads to our unity. Accept the beauty of the perfection of imperfection.