The Illusion of Perfection

When you hear the word "perfect", what do you think of? Most definitions of perfect are something along the lines of "being entirely without fault or defect". So many of us are walking around trying to be perfect in some way. We want the perfect job, the perfect partner, the perfect body, or ...When you hear the word "perfect", what do you think of? Most definitions of perfect are something along the lines of "being entirely without fault or defect". So many of us are walking around trying to be perfect in some way. We want the perfect job, the perfect partner, the perfect body, or the perfect child. I think there's nothing wrong with wanting perfection. The trick is to change the definition of a "fault" or "defect".
It's almost amusing how we believe that we have faults or defects. How can a person ever grow without experiencing the range of human emotion? When we are trying something new, isn't there a process we must go through in order to learn it? So, is it a defect inside us when we pick up a violin for the first time and it doesn't sound very good? Of course not. The process is perfect, not just the end result. To say one must practice to be perfect is to say that where you are, learning what you are learning at this moment, is only a means to be perfect somewhere in the future. The more we put perfection out there in the future, the more we tend to stay in a state of dissatisfaction. The perfect future never seems to come.
I've never met anyone who says they have the perfect life. Have you? I know I've looked at somebody else and said they have the perfect life, but when I talk to them I hear another story. Everyone seems to always be chasing after something that will take all of their problems away. For most of us, we think it is more money. Even though people with money tell us over and over that it doesn't make everything perfect, there is still this illusion that many of us carry around with us that life holds a place for us, somewhere, in which we will have no more challenges to overcome.
What if we stopped seeing learning, growing, energetic cycles, feeling emotions, and falling down while we're learning to walk as flawed? What if we held all of it as perfect? Think about it. If we held the entire human experience as perfect, then perfection is already attained! I don't know about you, but I am tired of being afraid to try something new because I think I'm not going to do it perfectly right away. I am also tired of saying "it's okay to not be perfect". That phrase bothers me. I want to start thinking of ALL OF ME as perfect. Then I can joyfully go through life enjoying the perfection of the process, and never seeing myself as having flaws or defects.
I know many of us think that it is the striving toward perfection that causes expansion and growth. I believe that if we expanded for the sake of letting our passions come through us and wanting to contribute to the planet, as well as each other, we would soar in more ways than we could imagine. What if love, desire, and passion fueled our growth and not dissatisfaction? We can expand for the sake of experiencing the world in new ways, and find perfection in the entire process. It is possible.
I invite you in this moment to breathe. Look around you. Notice where you are, what is happening in your body. Take in your life for a moment. You are doing the very best you can do with the tools you have right now. Your life is perfect. Try this on for a few days. Continue to tell yourself that everything you do, say, and feel is perfect. Learning new things and adjusting, even very slowly, is perfect. How could it be any other way?
Human beings are amazing creatures. We are creators, capable of thought and choice. We have such a range of emotion and experience. Each person you see is much more complex and mysterious than you will ever know. If you ever dream of seeing the world as perfect, you must first see yourself that way. It begins here and now. Perfection is achieved by nothing more than accepting that which already is.

Simple, isn't it?