Walking along the beach during Mental Health Week , we chatted about the relationship between mental health and the constant need to strive for perfection. In this social media driven world, everything happens quickly and publicly. It’s easy to be caught up in the drive to make our everyday lives appear fabulous. Whether it’s work related, our kids, or attempting to cook a fantastically healthy meal, many of us consistently try to be ‘perfect’. Inevitably, we judge whether we are meeting these impossibly high standards and, sadly, we often find ourselves lacking.
Striving for perfection is fraught with the risk of failure.
Humans are not perfect. History has shown us time and again that people often say and do the wrong thing, even when we try not to. And that’s OK. But it does become a problem when we are too hard on ourselves purely because we have made a mistake or not achieved something we are working for.
It is important to maintain a real and practical perspective about perfection.
Failure is not necessarily bad.
Of course, no one likes to ‘fail’. It’s quite normal to feel upset and angry when things don’t go to plan, but this is a really good opportunity to do a quick self-check. Ask yourself three questions:
What impact has this had?
What can I learn from this?
How can I prevent it happening again?
The answers to these questions will help you determine the true extent of the problem, lead you away from negative self-talk and guide you in a positive direction.
And don’t forget that failure often leads to the next success. If we never make mistakes, then we may not discover or create new things. Songs, poetry and art, for example, all come from artistic interpretation of the exploration of our humanity – both the good and the bad. ‘Failure’ can lead to personal growth, development and eventual happiness if it is embraced as the opportunity to learn.
Try to be better, not perfect.
As community members, it’s important that we consistently try to do our best. Aiming to be a good person who makes a positive difference in the lives of others is a wonderful goal that can have enormous impact if we all do it. As we always say, ‘If everyone does a little bit, together we can do so much.’ We might not be able to create a perfect world with no litter or waste, but, by working together, we can reduce the impact of these things on the environment. After all, picking up three pieces of rubbish every time you go for a walk WILL make a difference. Things will not be perfect, but they will be better.
Life is about the journey, not the destination. The strive for perfection can trip us up and create unnecessary stress and negativity in our lives. It’s time to turn it around.
To us, imperfection is the true perfection. And, with acceptance of imperfection, there is no need for judgement. Everyone make mistakes, but learning to overcome these hurdles and persist in our endeavours is the sign of real human perfection. As long as we are trying to do better, focus on improving the little things of our everyday lives, work together for a common good and make a difference in the lives of others then the world will become a better place for all of us.
