This quote suggests that we often aim for perfection, not for ourselves, but to project an image to others, an image that usually doesn’t align with what we believe about ourselves.
So, why does this happen? Society’s got a huge role to play here. It can create this blueprint of a ‘perfect’ person, which we might try to measure up to. We try to showcase this perfect persona, even if it doesn’t match our true identity. This can feel like selling a product that we wouldn’t buy ourselves.
Here’s the thing: as humans, we’re built to make mistakes. And that’s totally fine! But when we’re chasing perfection, we ignore this reality. We start feeling like errors are off-limits, which leads to self-doubt.
The strange thing is that this need to be perfect often comes from not believing in ourselves enough.
When we strive to put on a ‘perfect’ front, it’s like we’re admitting that we’re not good enough as we are. So, we wear this mask of perfection to cover our self-doubts. But this act is tiring and can make us feel like we’re always falling short of our idealized selves.
So, what’s the bottom line? Perfectionism can make us lose sight of our real selves. Yes, aiming to improve is good, but running after an impossible standard of perfection is not.
It’s high time we removed our perfection masks and embraced our true selves, blemishes and all. By doing this, we not only show the world our real selves but also start believing in ourselves more.
After all, our quirks and imperfections make us uniquely human and, ironically, these are the things that most people might find interesting about us.
This need to be perfect can stem from unconscious beliefs that we have taken on board at a young age. If this is something that is bothering you, we should chat.
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