Perfectly Imperfect: The Art of Letting Yourself Be

As much as we love to talk about productivity and striving to achieve your dreams, we equally believe in emotional balance and being kind to yourself in the face of adversity. Let’s face it, some days you’re not moving mountains. More so, some days you don’t even want to move mountains –and guess what? That’s okay. We’re here to tell you, you don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to be “on” every single day. Everyone has days when they’re less focused, tired, off their “a-game” or simply not in the mood. It’s not that you shouldn’t have bad days; it’s that you shouldn’t be hard on yourself when you do.

“One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn’t exist…..Without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist.”
-Stephen Hawking

Contrary to our perfectionist society, having bad days and flaws is absolutely okay and normal. Because here is the most obvious yet most forgotten fact: perfection does not exist. In fact, our universe only exists due to imperfection. Without imperfection none of us would be here. As metaphysicist Stephen Hawking famously said,“One of the basic rules of the universe is that nothing is perfect. Perfection simply doesn’t exist…..Without imperfection, neither you nor I would exist.”

This might sound like Captain Obvious reporting here, but despite our general knowledge that perfection doesn’t exist, we still tend to chase it. We women are especially pressured to be everything to everyone. Even if we consciously tell ourselves all is fine and perfection is unattainable, our subconscious can tell us something entirely different. And that’s where we can run into trouble.

Let me ask you this, what kind of dialogue is going on in your head when you make a mistake, don’t meet your own (or someone else’s) expectations or simply have a bad day? Does it go something like: “Stupid. Failure. I knew I couldn’t do it. Why can’t I get it together?” Our default subconscious answers to adversity are usually not positive. Our natural response to mistakes and negative emotions are usually something self-defeating. How about instead of filling our inner dialogue with harsh criticisms, we fill it with understanding and self-love?

Next time you make a mistake, fall short, lose focus, or have a bad day, say to yourself: “It’s okay. You’re allowed to feel this way. You’re still a strong, capable, smart person. I love you. Everyday is a new day.” Then, let yourself just be. Own it, cry it out, have some Ben & Jerry’s, vent to a friend, do some yoga, and most of all be kind to yourself. And that, my lovelies, is the art of letting yourself be.