''True Perfection has to be Imperfect, I know that that sounds foolish but it's true''. Oasis
Inspiration takes many forms.
For me, inspiration blossoms from books oozes from nature and sings to me in the form of song. And it's a song that has inspiring this Blog post.
Being a 90's baby and raised in England, I grew up listening to Oasis. Music has always been a big part of my life, Friday evenings were spent huddled around the TV, joining the entire nation in watching Top of the Pops and discovering who would take the number 1 spot.
When I was around Nine and was given my own portable CD player and naturally Oasis would be including in my daily playlist. If you owned a portable CD player you will remember that even the slightest jolt would make the track skip... This made Car journeys rather tedious and walking with the device almost impossible. Regardless of the annoyance, I listened lovingly to Oasis on my 'portable' CD Player as often as I could.
Skip forward to when I was Eleven and Oasis released the song 'Little by Little'.
As with many of Oasis' songs, it was the energy of their music that captivated me and had me listening to their songs again and again. This song was different though, something bugged me about it. I love a lot of Oasis' lyrics but there was one line that had me stumped for years. It reads 'True perfection has to be imperfect, I know that that sounds foolish but it's true'. Huh? My 11 year old self was baffled when I first heard this. Perfection can't be imperfect? It goes against the meaning of the word! My juvenile mind couldn't comprehend the contradictory nature of the lyrics.
Now however, I feel I have my own understanding of the words.
What is perfection? The definition of perfection is as varied and unique as the people who share their definitions of it. What is 'Perfect' for me, is worlds away from 'Perfect' for someone else. I feel in the Western World we are told what perfection is. Magazines are forever showing us 'The perfect Body' and Celebrities are revered as flawless Gods of perfection. However, as I'm sure you know, it's an illusion.
We must be conscious that as humans we all have flaws. I wish we'd all stop giving ourselves such a hard time and realise this truth: You are perfect because you are you. There is no one else in the world that has your gifts, your quirks, your ideas, your experiences, your DNA. You are Perfect because you exist. You are perfect with your imperfections.
Striving for perfection is a fast lane to suffering. As a Coach, I often hear my clients say 'I won't be happy until X happens or I am X'. With this thinking, it's easy to see why people become disheartened and unmotivated with the changes they want to make. Their criteria for Happiness/Success/Wealth, whatever it is, is based upon an end result. Now goals are important, as is aiming high and pushing through our comfort zones but delaying happiness until things are 'Perfect' is not effective. I want to end this post by offering a way out of this suffering. A tweak in how we approach change and improvement.
Strive for progress, not perfection.
By changing our focus from striving to be Perfect to ensuring progress, not only are you being kinder to yourself but you are encouraging action. Progress comes from action.
Right now, whatever your goals are for yourself, remember that it's progress that counts, not perfection. This week there will be children who will feel disappointed in themselves as they only receive 10/20 in a test, even though on their previous test they scored a 5. Progress has been made but the child will still feel imperfect. It's very easy for us to find flaws in ourselves and name the imperfections in our lives.
One of my goals is to be an accomplished writer. Is this post Perfect? No. Am I making progress by writing it? Yes. This is what truly matters. Every step forwards counts. Little by Little.
If you enjoyed this and want more inspiration & tools to think better, feel better, and live better - then here is what you can do right now...
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