Is Striving for Perfection Paralyzing You?

sometimes it really result in a good writing work by just mentioning your thoughts. i really appreciate thoughts from christine. www.athleticlothing.com

Coming to the realization that you are not perfect is the first step to letting your guard down to try new things and except that you may not meet someone else's expectations. But if you wait for that perfect time you more than likely will never try cause there is no perfect. This article is inspiring because its facts "life." I recently decided to push forward with opening my own business because I realized I was waiting for a time that doesn't exist.

This article is so real and makes so much sense for the typical college student. I know that I tend to strive for perfection, which often leads me into an endless fight with myself. However, you make a good point; people who seem perfect are not exciting. It is only when someone has overcome a struggle or done something to make a change that we see them in a brighter light. #NSCSS2C

I think you're right on the subject, being perfect is boring. When in reality people who try to be perfect can never be perfect in their own eyes, they want to be more perfect always, we need to put aside that term because all of us have our own individual skills and talents that makes us perfect. And the definition of "perfect" that they teach us will always be unreachable for us, but at least we can try and do our best.

#NSCSS2C I found this article was very easy to relate to for me and probably many of other people as well. I always try to do thing in certain ways and try to make everything right, but I am learning that not everything is controllable and won't always go as planned. I need to be more flexible and less rigid about things that I do and experience. Not everything will always be correct or done in a way that satisfies everyone. Thanks for a great article that allowed me to see how this impact others as well.

I love this article, it's so true. Life is never going to be perfect. You're going to go through things that are going to be just a little or even a lot imperfect. My dad has been battling cancer for 7 months now and at the beginning, I thought things would be doctor visit, chemo, boom cancer free. But that wasn't the case. He endured a vigorous trial of chemotherapy which didn't get rid of the tumor. Then he went through weeks of radiation. He's not only battling cancer, but pain in his arm, fluids in his lung, and nausea. Things didn't work out as perfectly as I had dreamed. I came to find that there is no cure for his type of cancer, he will always have this battle in his life, and he will always be a little imperfect. That little piece of imperfection has taught me so much in my life and I plan to be a little imperfect each and everyday!

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I agree with this article. Sometimes I feel like I hold myself back from taking any kind of risk because I think it might not turn out perfectly. When something does not turn out the way I expect it, I have to step back and realize that life isn't perfect and unexpected things happen. Although I still struggle with this everyday, because of course i'm not perfect, I have to remind myself that no one is perfect.

Wanting to be "perfect" is something that I struggle with, as well. I like your advice - people that inspire us are often those who have faults and admit them. Another thing I know I need to keep in mind is that "I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13) - but if I mess up, He still loves me, forgives me, and wants to help me live more like Him! That's encouraging! :)

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This article really impacts me because I perceive it like an advice, since unfortunately I’m that kind of person that is more likely to be obsessed with been perfect. Trying to be perfect is definitely a terrible lifestyle, because you forget what is really important in your life. You start to get obsessed with good grades at school, you want to be the smartest guy, you don’t want to make ANY mistake, and when you realize that all these is totally impossible and that sometimes it will be a person more successful than you , you get terribly frustrated. When you get frustrated you lose your confident, you stop believing in you and in your abilities, and you start to think that you are a loser. And what’s next? Depression. This one is the worst part of the situation, because ones you are depressed it is very difficult, but not impossible, to get over it. Besides, a not treated depression can even end in suicide. All of this sounds horrible, right? Well, sadly it is the truth.

But that’s not all. What about trying to have the perfect body or image? Personally, I think this one is one of our biggest problems in our community, especially in the young community. Every person at every single day of his life is influenced by all kinds of media with messages that tell him that if you don’t have the perfect image and if you are not beautiful, you will not be happy and successful. The problem is that we are all different, so when we try to look at some way and we get obsessed with been “perfectly beautiful”, what we really are trying to do is to be like someone else, which is impossible. So, we start to have foodborne illnesses, depression, a low self-esteem, etc., which completely destroy our life, and I know this because I lived this. I spent 5 years of my life trying to be “perfect” and “beautiful”, and I get obsessed with diets and exercise, and when I realize that I will never have the “perfect body”, I get so frustrated that I get depressed and with a terribly low self-esteem. But, with the help of my mom and my faith in God, I then realize that the only one that is perfect is God, that we are all beautiful just as we are with all our imperfections. When I definitely learned my lesson, I won my fight and I started to be a more confident girl. So, now I accept me and love me just as I am, and with this article I’m just remembering my lesson, which I will try to teach to every single person that need it.

Perfection, in all the sense of the word, is IMPOSSIBLE, useless and, how the article says, paralyzing. We are humans; we are supposed to be imperfect. The important is to have the will and courage to do great things and been able of learned from our mistakes. We are unique been imperfect!!!

I agree with this article! Throughout the day, I have various situations were I don´t act rapidly or spontaneously because I think of "perfection". I want everything to be perfectly, but I end up taking double the time and at the end I don´t strive perfection, because as the article said "Perfection is not only impossible, it is kind of unappealing." I think the reason I want things to be perfect comes from being a good student throughout my life. Good students want to be the best in everything, every detail must be perfect, every assignment must be perfect and sometimes we get frustrated if we don´t succeed perfectly. In reality making mistakes is part of life. Nobody is perfect, you live and you learn it! I honestly think this article should be share more with good students that need to realize, like myself, that perfection is not attainable but doing goo and sometimes no succeeding is part of our experience has humans. Perfection is boring, as the stress is totally not worth it!

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Perfectionism is something that I have struggled with for several years. I was actually just thinking about how I hate making mistakes a few hours ago. I am way too hard on myself, and I never forget or forgive myself for making mistakes. I could really relate to this article, and I'm thankful for the person that shared this. I'm glad I'm not alone with this struggle. I don't know how to let my mistakes go just yet, but I'm slowly but surely starting to realize that they are what makes me who I am. The quote near the end was very helpful. "Once you accept the fact that you're not perfect, then you develop some confidence." I want to soon be able to grow into a more confident and less perfect person. Thank you for posting.

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This might sound banal, but I felt honestly inspired and refreshed after reading Christine's article on perfection. I have always been a perfectionist, which at times causes stress and anxiety. I always want things to go my way, and a slight fluctuation in my plans is intolerable to me. However, this is not what we would label as a perfect life. When you are in continuous chase of a goal, it will always try to run ahead of you, and will end in making you frustrated. Therefore, I have learnt that I should only strive to a certain extent, which according to me should be my best shot. After that, I should leave the rest to my fate. Our optimism and enthusiasm will take us a long way, but the final outcome of our efforts is controlled by our destiny. Christine has put it very wisely by saying that people are not perfect, except when they smile. Because we, as humans, are the God's only creation who are capable of portraying our happiness through our smile. This is what is known as "real" perfection! #NSCSS2C 

This article is inspiring, and I feel that everyone needs to read this. So often are we thinking about perfection that we forget about reality. We begin to live in an alternate universe, and when something happens to "burst the bubble", we become depressed and frustrated with ourselves. So long have I been trying to be perfect - to get my hair just right and to get my body into a dress with a single digit size. But no matter how hard I have tried, no matter the positive results I see, it is never enough. Because once you hit that "perfect" goal, there will only be another imperfect aspect of your life you strive to change. It is a never ending and very vicious cycle that we all need to figure out our escape. #NSCSS2C

Though this might sound strange, reading this article makes me want to strive for imperfection. When I say imperfection, I mean having the ability to make mistakes and learn from them. Summoning up the courage to be yourself rather than trying to emulate others. Finding the strength to endure and overcome all of life’s obstacles. When looking at it this way, imperfection is a good thing, because it allows us to grow and prosper. #NSCSS2C

Honestly, this article was refreshing and inspiring. The pursuit, the constant strive for perfection within our modern times is unattractive. If everything and everyone was perfect, how boring would that be? It is the lack of perfection within life that makes it so interesting and worthwhile. 

Perfection. What is it anyway? How can one define perfection? Maybe it is even undefinable because it doesn't exist. One must reflect and see the line that separates striving for perfection and constructively working on yourself to accomplish your goals and overcome obstacles and challenges in your life. 

Reading this article has made me want to change the way I look at life and college. Being a sophomore college student, I want to appreciate everything that I have, how imperfect it may be. I want to live, not strive for perfection, but for happiness. Success and happiness in life, in my life, shouldn't need to come from perfection. I want to make sure I keep working and overcoming everything that comes my way, without trying to pursue something that doesn't exist. If it even did exist, I would want stay imperfect and make mistakes and struggle for want I want. Imperfection is what it means to be human, people shouldn't let this imaginary concept keep them from life. I won't.

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I really needed to read this article. It felt like a breath of fresh air. Seriously, people need to stop striving to be perfect all the time. I need to stop. It's not a bad thing to push yourself towards improvement, but sometimes you have to realize we all have limits. Being vulnerable and taking risks are two of the big things I value. Sometimes I meet people who are too afraid to give up their "perfect" status that they forget how to live. I don't want to be that person. I'd rather go with the flow and make mistakes. I want to open up my soul to people and show them I'm not afraid. 

I think I have always equate perfection as being smart and eventually to success, and it is hard for me to get over the fact that this is not true. Part of this difficulty maybe because I came from a family that values getting perfect scores and grades, which bring pride and honor to the family. The other  part maybe the fact that majority of universities, job positions, and others still look at your transcript or resume to value an individual's capacity/worthiness. I have to say trying to be perfect is really stressful and most likely lead to an unhappy life. Reading this article encourages me to shift my focus from getting good grades to more understanding and questioning course materials. Taking risk and making mistake may be the first step towards understanding and discovering oneself.

I definitely tend to strive for perfection in everything I work on whether it is a paper or an exercise routine. I love knowing that I have done everything perfect and everyone appreciates it, but I have realized that that is impossible to accomplish. Every time I do something that I think is perfect, there is always someone who thinks it is not. As much as I try to strive for perfect, I know it is impossible. Even with that knowledge though I still tend to try to make everything perfect, but now it is not for other people to appreciate, it is for me to appreciate. I learnt that other people's opinion's do not really matter, all that matters is my opinion. Perfection may not be possible for everyone, but it is possible for me if I try hard enough to get what I want.

I definitely have the same problem.  However, mine mainly comes from my mother; she expects me to get a 4.0 GPA THROUGHOUT college and constantly rags on me if something doesn't go exactly how she would want it to have gone.  My strive for perfection stems from my mother's, which is why I am the way I am.  I realize after completing my first year of college that I will still try my best, but if it doesn't end up perfect to not fret about it.

I think striving to achieve perfection is something many individuals struggle with. In my case, this struggle occurs in the realm of academics. I find myself constantly striving to maintain straight A's  so that I can graduate with a "perfect" GPA. To be honest, I am not even sure where this obsessive need to achieve academic perfection came from. This past spring, I struggled in some of my classes and became devastated as I realized that for the first time in my college career, I might not get straight A's. However, I eventually overcame this fear and picked myself back up. I realized that I was working hard and doing the best I could, so I shouldn't be so hard on myself. In the end, I did just fine. Thank you for writing this blog! It was a fresh reminder of the fact that perfection is not only unrealistic, but it isn't always the best goal to have either.

This is one of those 'wake-up!' blogs and it's filled with a lot of valuable wisdom! One thing that stuck out to me was when you stated, "Personally, I am far more inspired by people who expose their humanity rather than trying to do everything “right.” Far too many times am I trying to do the latter and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. But living in a society where there's such 'standards' of behavior, it's hard not to try and do something more 'right' than wrong. However, sometimes you just have to take things with a lighter attitude and see where things end up. With good means there will almost always be good ends! Thanks for the wisdom-parting post!