We all have imperfections and there is so much pressure to get ahead these days that it’s easy to lose sight of what’s essential.

Everywhere you look, there are reminders to set and reach stretch goals, to look to the next challenge, the next promotion, a bigger house, and a better car. 

It might be tempting to give up, even maybe feel like you’re a failure for not having an Instagram-worthy day every day.

Here are some suggestions for embracing your imperfections. 

Own your individuality and your flaws

It’s time to cut yourself some slack and make friends with your imperfections.

It is not only human to be imperfect; it’s what makes you an individual. 

All those little quirks, the crooked smile, the cowlick, even the frown when you’re concentrating, all make you irresistibly you. 

It’s the same with skills.

So you’re not good with figures, or your ball skills are lame.

No one is good at everything, and no one goes through life without making mistakes. 

Owning your flaws will make you more relatable as a person and more compassionate in your dealings with others.

Practising some self-compassion will make you a kinder, more accepting person. 

Get some perspective

Learn to be objective about your mistakes and how important they are in the big scheme of things.

Often making mistakes or failing can be a big aha moment. 

You learn what didn’t work, you change course, and you move on. 

Reset your expectations and learn to think of mistakes as stepping stones to long-term success, not as damning indictments of you as a person.

The sooner you detach yourself from identifying with your failures, the better! 

It’s how you respond to failure that defines you, not the mistake itself. 

Be kind to yourself

Perfectionists tend to lose sight of the real issue.

Did you do your best?

Did you give it your best shot? 

So many things are out of your control and have the potential to support or derail your projects.

If you did the best you could at the time, and you have learned from the experience, that’s enough. 

Instead of locating your self-worth in other people’s opinions or the success or failure of a project, find success in how you behaved and what you did. 

Make friends with imperfection by seeing yourself as a rounded, complete human being. 

Imperfection is necessary to keep growing and learning and discovering new and exciting things about the world and its possibilities. 

When You Embrace Your Imperfections

Did you know that as soon as you stop trying to be perfect, beautiful things happen? It’s true! 

Choose to step away from continually striving to get ahead, to achieve an impossible ideal, and you will see life open up like a flower. 

Here are some of the blessings of embracing imperfection.

You realise your uniqueness

Tone down the critical self-gaze and suddenly those little quirks stop being flaws and start being beautiful things that set you apart and make you your own, unique, beautiful self. 

No one else has your smile or your frown of concentration.

No one else can write the way you do or make your style of French toast. 

You can stop comparing

Embracing your imperfections releases you from the destructive cycle of comparing yourself with other people.

Your Inner Critic can stand down because being better than the next guy suddenly stops mattering. 

Seeing your flaws as unique characteristics making up your self also releases you from needing external validation.

So, what if you don’t have a thirty-inch waist or your legs don’t go on forever? 

Real validation comes from within and what other people think or how they look doesn’t matter. 

You become more positive about yourself and others

Stepping out of the competitive measuring up changes your mindset.

Instead of being judgmental and self-critical, you focus on the things you like about yourself. 

And as soon as you stop beating yourself up, you become more relaxed about other people. 

You become kinder

People who are okay with their less than perfect aspects tend to be more forgiving of other people’s flaws. 

When you embrace imperfection, your standards become more realistic, and in turn, you take a kinder more compassionate view of yourself and others. 

You lose your fear of failure

Once you’ve become more okay with imperfection, failure shrinks down to more realistic proportions.

You can see mistakes or missteps as an inevitable part of being human. 

Failure is an essential part of learning, a stepping stone on the path to success. 

And because fear is no longer a catastrophic prospect, it’s a lot safer to take some risks, to stretch your challenges and who knows, even have more significant successes. 

Your self-esteem grows

Accepting that failure is okay, and that imperfection is inevitable means that you become happier with who you are and how you’re doing.

It doesn’t mean you don’t work hard or stop having goals, but it does mean you are less hung up about doing everything correctly. 

All your characteristics and experiences become aspects that make you the beautiful individual you are.

And that’s pretty wonderful.

We all have imperfections and when we learn to embrace our imperfections we become more resilient and keep focused on what’s essential. 

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