“Striving for excellence feels wonderful because you are trying your very best. Perfectionism feels terrible because your work is somehow never quite good enough.’’

We are living in a culture obsessed with perfection. We all have this mediocre mentality in our mind that everything should be perfect — whether it’s a perfect look, perfect career, perfect relationship or a perfect life. We just crave for perfection, ignoring the fact that God has blessed us with the best. The thing which is perfect for you might be complete nonsense for someone else. We should remember that we all are perfectly imperfect and that’s perfectly alright.

Imperfection has its own beauty. It’s fine if you are fat, ugly or weak in studies. Accept yourself the way you are. But the problem in our society is that we are just wasting our time in chasing perfection. An obsession for being the best and brightest may just end up sabotaging our chance of success.

The chase to perfection is never-ending. It is like a swamp where you get stuck forever and end up drowning. You are never satisfied with what you have achieved. Instead you are always running from one stage to another without enjoying what you have in hand right now.

It is rightly said that “If you look for perfection, you will never be content.”

If our soul is perfect from within, then there is nothing to be worried about. The biggest disadvantage of chasing perfectionism is that you are constantly striving for more and more. I am not saying that we shouldn’t set high standards, but you should create a mindset that isn’t filled with unrealistic expectations. Many people are not satisfied with what they achieve, no matter how hard they may have worked for it, because they always think that what they have got isn’t good enough.

One more aspect about perfectionism is that we are also pressurised by society to look perfect. Our society has created freaky values of perfection. So, in a way, the society is also responsible for creating a need for perfection in a human being. It’s not like we just expect perfection from ourselves, but we also want perfection from others, and this also has some negative impact on society.

We are always looking for a perfect human being, forgetting that no one is perfect in this world. Everyone has some flaws. Even those who tell you how to look perfect, they are imperfect. So stop chasing perfection and start pursuing excellence instead.

Here is what happens when you stop chasing perfection.

You will be more satisfied: In chasing perfection, you are not under your control. You are just craving for more and more, which leaves you unsatisfied. So if you will be happy for what you have attained, ultimately you will be satisfied, which is necessary for living a happy life.

You will be more grateful: By not chasing perfection, you are giving yourself time to enjoy what you have achieved and when there will be no thirst for more, you will be more grateful.

You will start your life living fully: Perfectionism holds you hostage and you are bound within the limits for what you have designated as perfect. However, when you break the boundary of perfectionism, it opens a new world for you. You can easily explore, experiment and adapt things which seem “the best for you” without any worries.

You will be more positive: The biggest demerit of chasing perfection is that you start comparing yourself from others. It ultimately creates negativity in your mind. You will find yourself more positive and feel fresher when you stop running after perfection.

In short, when we strive for perfection we are striving for something that is not attainable because if we are chasing perfection, then we are wasting our time on something that doesn’t even exist. Why are we searching for it within ourselves and why are we expecting the same from others?

We should accept this ground reality that nothing is perfect in this world and if we think that someone has perfect looks or someone has a perfect life, then it is just our perception. It’s not the complete picture and that a perfect thing must be imperfect for someone else, because it is just us who have created these standards of perfectionism.

Published in Dawn, Young World, March 14th, 2020