Why the Pursuit of Perfection Will Leave You Empty-Handed

What motivates you?

That may seem like a pretty broad question, but what inspires you?
Why do you get up in the morning?
What compels you to keep showing up for your family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers?
What is your WHY?

For me, oftentimes my motivation stems from a pursuit of perfection. If I strive hard enough, then I will achieve perfection. If I do everything with excellence and fastidiousness, then perfection will follow. But the harm in this type of mindset is that it’s flawed. Perfection should never be the goal in our pursuits. Yes, it’s fine and well to strive for greatness and goodness in all things, but nothing can be or ever will be without fault. So if perfection isn’t the end game, what is?

A few years ago, I read Annie F. Down’s book That Sounds Fun. SIDENOTE: if you need an easy read or something short to reignite your love for reading, this is your sign! If you wanna hear more about how I fell back in love with reading AND how you can too, check out THIS BLOG POST. Okay, sidebar over, back to Annie F. Down’s book. In this book, she recounts the joys of being an amateur, the power of falling in love, and why you need a hobby. For a self-proclaimed perfectionist, this book made me uncomfortable in all the best ways. To put it simply, I don’t like the idea of being an amateur.

Real life example: The summer before fifth grade, we went to Montreat (a camp in the North Carolina mountains) to visit some family friends. At the time, the camp staff was offering an afternoon watercolor class. My dad and I decided to take it together. Unfortunately, by the end of the class, I was weeping. I was so disappointed in myself and my finished product that all I could do was cry. I had been so focused on achieving perfection (despite my novice status), that I missed out on the opportunity to find joy in being an amateur. I know this about myself: I don’t like to try new things, UNLESS I know I can do them well. But if you live your life with that kind of limited mentality, you’re likely to miss out on a lot of joy. And let me tell you, there’s incredible joy to be had in being an amateur.

Fast forward 20+ years and I finally decided to give watercolors another go. When we lived in Myrtle Beach, I had a vision for the wall in our living room, and it involved abstract watercolors. I could’ve bought prints off Etsy, but instead I bought a paint palette and watercolor paper from Michael’s and created my own unique set of prints. To tell you the truth, it was really fun. And not only did I save money, I also overcame past fears and created a beautiful trio of abstract art.

“Every expert was once a beginner.”

I love this quote, because it’s a friendly reminder that we all have to start somewhere. And usually we start as a novice. It’s okay, better yet normal, to not be good at something the first time or even the tenth time you try it. But just because you aren’t good at something, doesn’t mean you can’t find joy or pleasure in it. I’m in the process of learning that the pursuit for pleasure is often more satisfying that the pursuit for perfection. Because if my goal in doing something is to have fun, then 99.9% of the time, fun can be accomplished with the right kind of mentality. But perfection is a much more difficult task to accomplish, because it requires meticulous skill, inordinate amounts of time, and diligent effort. Also, did I mention perfection is impossible! So rather than holding ourselves to our own lofty, self-imposed standards, we should instead chase after things in pursuit of joy and contentment.

When was the last time you did something for kicks and giggles?

Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve done something in pursuit of FUN. And that’s okay, I’m right there with you, sister! So now is your chance to change that! Do something without expecting an end goal. Do something that you’ve been longing to do but been too afraid to do it. Do something radical and fun, and maybe bring a friend along the way. Here are a few examples: