Perfectly Imperfect

When I hear someone say, “You’re good enough,” I shrink. I hate being good enough. I want to be exceptional, excellent. I want to be the best.

No matter how hard I try to shake this illusion, even as I’m writing these lines, there’s still a voice in my head saying, “Good! Now work harder. Let’s be perfect today.” As if that part of me is actually proud I admitted it.

However, dear Captain Nitpicker side of me, I need to tell you something: not only is this an illusion, it’s also wrong. You want to do everything perfectly because you think that will make people love you more, appreciate you, and truly see you. But here’s the truth: we don’t actually like perfection. We feel far more connected to someone who is imperfect, because deep down, we know perfection is a lie. When someone seems “too perfect,” we don’t quite know how to relate. But when someone shows us their imperfect side, we relax. We feel human. We want them to feel good too, so we respond with openness.

Flaws make people stand out. They give them uniqueness, instead of a “universal perfection” that smells fake from a mile away. There are plenty of studies about this as well. I think one of the most famous is the Pratfall Effect, which basically shows that a little imperfection makes someone feel more human and relatable.

So, let’s ditch perfectionism today, shall we? Let’s be perfectly, wonderfully imperfect.