Friday, December 30, 2011

Is imperfectionism even a word?

The short answer is no.

The long answer still admits that it's not a real word. You won't find it in Webster's. However, I still think it conveys meaning, and it's the best "word" that I could think of for the spirit of what I'm writing about. I mean it as the opposite of perfectionism...not someone who's seeking to be imperfect, but someone who accepts imperfection and is learning to thrive in imperfect environments. Clear as mud? Maybe a real-life example* will help.

Perfectionist: Can't start the dishes because there's only ten minutes which means there won't be enough time to mop the floor and scrub every surface. Since there's no time to do it right, why bother right now?

Imperfectionist. Realizes that 10 minutes spent loading the dishwasher and wiping off the counters will make a huge difference and just does it.

*Yes, both of these examples are from my own life. Sadly, I've picked the first more times than I care to admit.

Note to self: Always worth it to spend the ten minutes now. In fact, you usually won't even notice that the floor is not spotless or the microwave is still dirty inside if you just clean off the counters and load the dishwasher.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Hello!

I sit here at the conclusion of a really difficult year, and I realize that lots of my difficulties were made so much more difficult by my struggle with perfectionism.

I declare that 2012 is going to be the year that I learn to relish in IMperfectionism.

Why? Because my 3yo daughter thinks that the most important thing that you can be is "perkect". Because I have delayed projects for years because of my own concerns that the finished results wouldn't meet my expectations.* Because the time to enjoy life is now.

My goal is to document my own growth and insight as I learn to more fully embrace life and all of its imperfections. In short, it's time that I finally try to live by something I learned in Sixth grade from Mrs. Bell: "Strive for Excellence, Not Perfection".

*note to self: I'm pretty sure that any finished project is better than half-completed stacks of things in the craft room.