Why You Need to Let Go of Perfection

As much as I dream about it and hold myself to its unrelenting standards, I am now (thank goodness!) smart enough to understand that perfection is not actually an attainable thing. This site is called “Be Ideal” because I believe that we all have a level of ourselves that is the best – but none of us will ever be perfect, and that’s totally fine!

Accepting that perfection is not possible is important for personal peace of mind, and if you haven’t yet reached that acceptance, here are 7 reasons why you really need to let go of trying to be perfect.

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It frees up your time. When you’re not obsessing about making your body perfect or your project perfect, you have more time to spend on other projects or passions.
You’ll feel better. Stressing about being perfect can cause anxiety, depression, insomnia or even physical problems like weight gain or high blood pressure.
Once you stop obsessing, you begin to enjoy life more. You’ll be happier, and you’ll notice that the people around you will be happier too.
Letting go of perfection lets you make mistakes. Mistakes can be particularly freeing and they are the precursors to growth.
You’ll quickly realize life isn’t perfect. You’ll see that the universe is chaotic. Control what you can and accept the rest.
Accepting imperfection allows you to grow. Trying to be perfect keeps you stagnant.
You become more aware of what near-perfection looks like. You’ll see it in the beauty of someone’s smile or the laughter from a simple mistake that doesn’t matter.
You’ll begin to practice self-compassion. You start to accept yourself as the way you are. Your flaws are what make you unique.

Letting go of perfection and embracing imperfection allows you to really become a happier person. You become free to pursue your passions, to explore your relationships, and to find new things to enjoy.