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We are imperfect beings created to flourish in our unique ways. So often in life, we want to create the perfect relationship, that perfect lifestyle, that perfect business model. Unfortunately, it may never end up the way we plan.

I have gone through the route of imperfection in my life’s journey. It was a journey that saw me striving to do things perfectly in the best possible way. It all ended up miserably, as the more I tried, the more I soon discovered the futility of the process.

How did I handle perfectionism

There were several steps I took when I realized the idea of perfectionism wasn’t helping me to be fulfilled in life. These steps have so far helped me to evolve into a better person than what I was yesterday

Accept your frailty

As humans, we have our unique strengths, and we also have our weaknesses. That is what makes us human. When I realized my weakness won’t make me live a perfect life, I had to accept my frailty and enjoy my imperfect state. This has helped me to gradually work on those areas that need to be improved upon.

The moment an individual fails to accepts his/her weakness, the ability to live a fulfilled life is drastically affected. We all make mistakes and these mistakes result from our imperfect states as humans. The first and most important step was accepting my weakness. It opened the door to my evolving into a better person and breaking free from the chain of perfectionism.

Work on your area of imperfection

While growing up, I was extremely shy. So shy that I had difficulty relating to the opposite sex. but when I accepted my frailty and imperfection, I started working on that major weakness.

It took years, but eventually, I evolved into a more confident and assured individual. It all started from the moment I accepted my frailty and the fact that chasing after perfectionism wasn’t doing me any good.

I joined the local choir in my church in a bid to improve my self-confidence and my phobia of imperfection. I also started attending some youth programs within Nigeria. These self-improvements and Information based classes created a platform for me to interact with other youths and also gave me the needed boost to become self-assured in my career pursuit.

It is not enough to accept your imperfection. Actively working to improve those areas where you need improvement is paramount. You don’t rejoice in been born into a poor family background. You work towards breaking the chain of poverty and liberating your generation yet unborn. I had to practically work on my imperfection.

Create room for tolerance

Another practical step I took in my bid to overcome perfectionism, was creating room for tolerance. In life, you will always come across different shades of people. The lazy, the hard-working, and even the perfectionist.

I have had my fair share of these, and when I created a mindset of tolerance from the onset, it enabled me to deal with the challenge of working with perfectionists. One thing you will notice about those who want to create an air of perfectionism around themselves is this: “They would tend to make all your effort or hard work seem inadequate”.

You can never please the perfectionist. They would always lookout for a fault in whatever you do. So the key was to create room for tolerance. Accept that you will encounter those who still believe in perfectionism. That room of tolerance you have created will enable you to deal with such a scenario when it arises. You don’t feel inadequate. You don’t feel insecure or victimized. You only learn valuable lessons from those who still cling to the dogma of perfectionism.

Improve daily

Though I don’t believe in perfectionism, I choose to improve on myself daily. This is a practical decision I started implementing more than a decade ago. I try to become a better version of myself. I don’t strive for perfection, because as humans, we can never be perfect.

There is always that element of condemning the efforts of others if we try to pretend or claim to be perfect because, in your eyes, you keep seeing the mistakes others make.

Improvement is both inward and outward. I strive daily to improve in areas where I know I am lacking. As a Content Writer, for example, I read books, watch videos on self-improvement, and try to implement these ideas in my daily life. Outwardly, I strive to improve my interpersonal relationship with others. Become more friendly, more helpful, and more accommodating.

It is a process, and just like a journey, been imperfect can sometimes be perfect, because it gives you room to be yourself and to learn daily. You don’t get to be too hard on yourself because you not perfect. These steps have made me appreciate life better and create sufficient room for those struggling to achieve their dreams and goals in life.