Don’t Be Too Hard on Yourself

“The pursuit of perfection often impedes improvement.”_George Will

Most of my writings are centered upon doing the work regularly enough to establish good work ethic and empowering habits in our lives.  They are based on striving to be the person we are capable of being by living the best version of ourselves, everyday.

However, today, my article will focus on how we can enjoy the heroic journey despite some unavoidable slips that are going to happen every now and then.

In other words, I mean sticking to the process of excellence is not exactly the same with a dogged pursuit of perfection: a ruthless rejection of anything less than perfect. 

You see, there is a huge difference between continuously striving to get better and a mindset of all-or-nothing. The former is the centerpiece of all of my work; the latter is not. Excellence is a wholesome thing but perfectionism is not. Perfectionism—in its complete sense— is mirage that no human can attain.

Perfectionism is not as good as it may seem to some people. In fact, it insidiously hinders the progress of its hardcore seekers because it is a fertile ground for many destructive emotions like constant self-doubt, anxiety, and even depression.

When we strive for perfection, we brood over extreme versions of what could be instead of being practical with the good that is attainable. Improvement is never about making a perfect score but it is always about making a better score. 

Certainly, self-discipline is a requirement for progress in any area of our lives but if we want to maintain our sanity along the way, we need to know how to deal with the inevitable low moments of life. Excellent striving gives birth to more motivation while real perfectionism is a sure of source of de-motivation and distress. 

To avoid this flaw in your heroic journey, learn to embrace your humanity, learn to celebrate your successes and try to learn from your failures. But above all, know that perfectionism is a mirage that no human can attain.

In a nutshell, be disciplined but don’t be too hard on yourself.