Growth over Perfection

I always try to be perfect but often realise that this pursuit can be both inspiring and limiting. Based on the quote “Have no fear of perfection; you’ll never reach it “by Marie Curie, there is no way to achieve perfection. So why is there even a need for me to achieve perfection? In the following, I will explain why there is no perfection, highlight the importance of focusing on the process rather than on the outcome and explore how letting go of perfectionism can help me reduce anxiety and fear.

There is no perfection because the concept itself is unrealistic and unattainable. To be perfect means to me to have no flaws and imperfections, but as a human I will always be limited in my knowledge and abilities. I cannot know everything, and imperfection will always be part of my human experience and learning process. So, these mistakes should be seen as a part of who I am. I will never be able to predict the future, so I can make as many plans as I want to prevent imperfections, but they will still occur. This tells me that perfection is not real, because it does not align with my view on imperfection and flaws.

By focusing on the process rather than on the outcome, I could reach much more important achievements than perfection. If my goal is to be perfect but I can only focus on trying to be perfect, my life would be filled with dissatisfaction. As mentioned before, I will never be able to predict the future and therefore will never be able to prevent imperfections so why not focus on the process? If I focus on each step, I can find value and importance in it, rather than feeling frustrated by the impossibility of not reaching perfection. By trying to enjoy these moments of growth, I can gain a sense of accomplishment that doesn’t rely on the impossible idea of perfection.

When letting go of wanting to achieve perfection, I can feel a big relieve of anxiety and fear. I think it is a big talent to stop wanting to be perfect or at least be almost perfect, so if in certain circumstances I can only focus on these small steps and not have the urge to be perfect, I feel less anxious. A big part of my anxiety comes from assuming others are perfect. This makes me feel like I need to be perfect too, which leads me to compare myself to others and this only increases my anxiety.

In conclusion, the aim to achieve perfection is unnecessary or even impossible. I should rather focus on myself and on my process because that’s where I can see improvements. Concentrating on being perfect is, as I see it, an unneeded aim because as the quote by Marie Curie says, you’ll never reach it, seeing that, I will never be able to predict and therefore prevent imperfection, so why do I even try? By valuing growth over achieving perfection, I can treasure the smaller steps, and it reduces my anxiety because I’m focused on myself and not on other people’s process.