Society teaches women from a very young age to always be their best: flawless, agreeable,  graceful, perfect. In this never-ending and all-consuming pursuit for perfection, we lose  something of ourselves. At some point, many young girls stop playing in the mud for fear of  dirtying their dress; we forget how it feels to let ourselves live in the moment. To reclaim  ourselves and reject the societal pressure placed on so many women, we must turn to  deperfectionism. Deperfection is perfect in that it is not perfect: it isn’t even a real word.  Moreover, it implies a process of rejecting perfection, which the idea of imperfection falls short  of. For we are not imperfect; we are learning to embrace deperfection. Of course, it is no easy  task to unlearn the norms that have been with us since birth, so here are five tips to help  “deperfectionize” your life.  

1. Try new things  

One of the best steps to deperfectionize is to try new things. It can be incredibly difficult to step  into a new environment you know nearly nothing about. But that’s okay. It may seem like  everyone around you knows exactly what they’re doing, but remember, they too started as  beginners. By starting something new and letting yourself be a beginner, you make a conscious  decision to let go of perfection. So try new things: learn to dance, weight lift, play an  instrument, because it is okay to be bad at things.  

2. Grab a buddy!  

This tip goes along with the previous one. If you’re feeling nervous about trying a new activity  outside of your comfort zone, ask a friend to join you. Having someone you feel comfortable  around creates an environment in which you feel safer to push your boundaries. Moreover,  doing new things with a friend means that you can keep each other accountable and  motivated!  

3. Be realistic  

Change doesn’t occur overnight. Life is about balance: some days are bad and others are great.  With anything you do, set realistic goals that make space for mistakes and growth. You can not  expect perfection in every aspect of your life; doing so will only lead to burnout and anxiety. Let  the pressure go: you are a human being who is allowed to make mistakes. But do place realistic  goals. Do delight in the achievements, big or small, that you’ve made.  

4. Focus on meaning  

Rather than always focusing on outcomes, focus on how the process made you feel. Was this  something that you enjoyed? If so, keep doing it. There will always be something you wish had  gone differently, so it won’t help worrying over one tiny detail. Think instead of what you  learned, what you enjoyed, and what you didn’t enjoy. In this way, you will find a greater level  of fulfillment.  

5. Be confident.  

Perhaps the most important step: be confident. Even when you maybe feel a bit silly or unsure,  be confident. Naturally, everyone, even the most confident people, has their off days, and it’s  vital to recognize this. What is important is creating a more positive dialogue. Instead of focusing on your mistakes, congratulate yourself for how far you have come. Be proud of  yourself.  

With these five tips, you’ll be able to begin “deperfectionizing” your life and focus instead on  your growth. Unlearning perfectionist tendencies takes time and does not progress linearly. But  it’s worth it because if you’re perfect, then you have nothing to learn, and where’s the fun in  that? 

Sources: 

https://thecentraltrend.com/99910/opinion/the-magic-of-acceptance-has-taught-me-to-love myself/