Good Enough Is Good Enough
By: Stefan James
Tags: Self Improvement, Freedom, Perfectionism, Life Lessons, Acceptance

Good Enough Is Good Enough

Did you know that good enough is good enough? If you are a perfectionist, this will be a hard concept to wrap your head around.

A lot of people strive to be perfect, but fail to realize that perfection isn't even attainable. It’s a self-defeating ambition, so stop trying to be perfect.

Life is a lot more fun and relaxing when you can accept that good enough is good enough.

Are you ready to learn the best way to overcome perfectionism?

Do you want to learn how to stop overthinking everything? CLICK HERE to read my blog post!

Unfortunately, perfectionism has a reputation for being a positive thing. If you work harder and achieve more, it must mean that you are successful, right? Not necessarily.

In fact, perfectionism has become a dangerous obsession that is costing people their mental and emotional health. There are studies that suggest that the higher one’s perfectionism is, the more psychological disorders they are going to suffer from. If you are starting to notice that your perfectionistic behaviors are negatively impacting your life, it’s time to make a change.

“Perfectionism is just an excuse for self-criticism.” — Sharon Martin

Letting go of perfectionism is not an easy task.

This is, in large part, due to society, who put a ton of pressure on us to be perfect. In one study, researchers found that students with high maximizing tendencies [obsessive, perfectionist behavior] secured jobs with 20 percent higher starting salaries than did students with low maximizing tendencies.

However, that same group was also less satisfied with the jobs they obtained and unhappier during the entire job-hunting process. Clearly being a perfectionist isn’t healthy.

“Perfectionism is a dangerous state of mind in an imperfect world.” — Robert Hillyer

If you’re not perfect, then who are you?

If you don’t make a certain amount of money, you must be struggling.

If you aren’t married with kids by 35, you’re running out of time.

If you don’t have a large social media following, you must not be popular.

No wonder it’s so easy for people to forget about all of the great things about themselves. They are too busy trying to be someone else’s version of perfect! Like any bad habit, it takes time to reprogram your belief systems.

If you have been operating a certain way for your entire life, don’t expect that you are going to change overnight. It’s not realistic, but I promise you that change is possible.

I’m a recovering perfectionist.

When I was younger, I somehow convinced myself that I couldn’t be accepted and loved if I wasn’t perfect. As a result, I got caught in a vicious cycle of striving for perfection. I would fail, blame myself, and then ride the perfectionism train all over again.

As you can imagine, I didn’t get anywhere. I had to learn that it was OK to be flawed and that it is possible for something to be good enough. In actuality, my version of good enough was perfect in the eyes of others. However, it’s all a matter of perspective.

“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.” ~Anna Quindlen

The best way to overcome perfectionism is to surrender.

By surrendering to perfection, you accept the messiness that comes with life. More importantly, you give up control. There is so much freedom in saying, “This is good enough.” If perfectionism is something that you struggle with, I encourage you to start viewing yourself as a work in progress.

In the words of Kim Collins, “Strive for continuous improvement instead of perfection.”

In order to grow, you have to be okay with knowing that not everything is going to go as planned. Life just doesn’t work that way. Accept where you are in this moment and trust that it’s good enough. This is the truest form of self-love.

The only thing that any of us can strive to be is perfectly imperfect.

I know it’s so cliché, but it’s true. If you fall into perfection mode from time to time, that’s okay. Just catch yourself. You are allowed to make mistakes. We all are. Flawed is beautiful because it’s real, and that’s all the world expects of you.

Are you ready to surrender to perfectionism?

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