There’s a common belief that perfect doesn’t actually exist, that it’s unattainable and a facade that hides the flawed and messy realities of life. That searching for this social construct does more harm than good, with people experiencing anxiety that they’ll fall short and/or depression when they inevitably do.
We see this happen with social media: people follow accounts with unrealistic portrayals of their perfect curated lives. What they don’t see is the pile of laundry or dirty dishes just out of frame, the tags still on that gorgeous dress that will be returned the next day or sponsored products they’re advertising at the cost of some of their soul.
They just see the perfect, and then feel like shit about their own lives because maybe they rent an apartment filled with mismatched hand-me-down furniture, or perhaps they’re not living that “carefree” digital nomad life. Or parenting their own snotty nosed children isn’t as easy breezy as it appears for others online. It’s hard to be grateful when you’re focusing on what you’re missing out on instead.
François-Marie Arouet, known by his pen name Voltaire, once famously wrote, “Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien.”. For us non-French speakers, this loosely translates to, “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.”.
I’m no philosopher, but I can see the truth when it hits me between the eyes. As someone who has spent most of my life reaching for perfection, never giving up even though it was always just out of reach, there’s something really freeing in letting go and embracing good instead.
Last week I wrote about perspective, and how I needed a dose of it in order to finally publish my first blog post. What’s a perfect post? Truthfully, I don’t care anymore. My goal is to keep writing and sharing, and to keep reminding myself that good is actually great.
Marla, Unpacked 