Ever since I was a child I’ve had a little problem with perfectionism. I was that kid that would spend days or weeks on a school project when my sister could spend a couple of hours and get almost the same grade. Everything had to be just perfect or it wasn’t good enough. But I always felt like no matter how hard I worked I could never keep up.
Through the years, I was intimidated by people that seemed to have it all together. They were physically put together, had a fairy tale love life, and seemed to be succeeding in every area of their lives. And I, well, wasn’t. I would rather sleep in then spend an hour applying makeup. I couldn’t find a job, much less a career, that made me happy. And for years my love life was non-existent.
Read more: Why You Need to Stop Comparing Yourself to Other Women
What I saw…
- Social media photos and posts told from the best lighting and angle.
- The put together images that people presented in public, both physically and what they choose to share about their lives.
But when you’re struggling, even if you can’t see below the surface, you are still seeing that they are engaged, went on a vacation, have a job that pays more, or have a beautiful child, when everything seems to suck for you. Even if what you are not seeing is that their fiance is abusive, they went into debt for that vacation, they hate their job, or they haven’t slept in a month because the baby isn’t sleeping.
Nobody is perfect, nobody’s life is perfect. Newsflash, right? The more you strive for things to be exactly the way you want them, the more dissatisfied you are going to be. And the more you will screw up, I’ve found. In the last few years I’ve tired of perfect (although I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t ever visit). I want to embrace my quirky self and the messy parts of my life.
Because I’m a little quirky…
- I have a very loud, expressive laugh that has been called annoying and/or embarrassing by some people.
- I love to research anything and everything. The internet and library are my best friends. I am a planner extraordinaire.
- I have a very active brain which keeps me up at night. I have been know to ruin surprises with the lethal combo of that brain and those researching skills (sorry babe!).
- I sometimes will burst out in a song, jig, or make bizarre comments at random and potentially awkward times.
- Sometimes I also hug giant tubs of ice cream.
And my life is messy. I sometimes burn dinner, don’t fold my laundry, get into arguments with my husband over the dishwasher, and at 30 I am still discovering what I want to do when I grow up. And I’m learning to be okay with that.
Let’s finally be okay with being imperfect women.
So, what is a quirk or part of your mess that you need to start embracing?
chelsea says
February 24, 2016 at 1:10 pmYou are 100% right, no one is perfect! I am glad you took the plunge and just did it. I made chicken last night and I think it was to tough and not moist enough.. it happens. I hug ice cream tubs too, seriously my vice!
XO Chelsea http://www.shesaidhesaidfashion.com
Sara says
February 24, 2016 at 1:13 pmMy chicken didn’t work out too well last night either.
Cebre says
February 24, 2016 at 1:16 pmSara! I feel like we’re so much alike! We have so many of the same quirks—the laugh, the figuring out surprises, the random comments, songs, and dances, and DEFINITELY the ice cream. I’m a super googler and always want to know everything but I’m not organized enough to do good research. I loved your post!
Sara says
February 24, 2016 at 1:21 pmThat’s so funny. Yes, I like ice cream a little too much.
Hailey says
February 25, 2016 at 3:21 pmGreat article! We have similar quirks and a shared (mostly retired) perfectionism. Loved reading this!
Sara says
February 25, 2016 at 3:32 pmGood to find like minded people online.
Starr says
March 7, 2016 at 4:13 pmI think you sound imperfectly wonderful! And human! Yay to you for embracing imperfections because they truly make life interesting.
Sara says
March 7, 2016 at 4:15 pmThanks!
Catherine @ Ten Thousand Hour Mama says
March 7, 2016 at 4:21 pmI’m constantly rushing from one thing to another. I pack every moment full of something so I’m going from my daughter’s preschool to home to putting my baby to sleep to conducting an interview to feeding my preschooler lunch to another interview – and by that time it’s just midday! Partly as a result, my house is a disaster and so am I. But I spend time with my kids because I love them, and I work because I love my job (and because it pays the bills, ha!). So all the other imperfection just goes with the territory!
Sara says
March 7, 2016 at 4:42 pmThere are definitely days that I feel like a complete mess too. I can’t imagine what my life will look like when I add kids to the mix!
Monika says
March 7, 2016 at 5:53 pmI know how you feel. I have been struggling with perfectionism all my life. And I’m trying to be okay with being imperfect, but sometimes it’s just so darn hard! I guess this is another lesson we have to learn with time… 🙂
Sara says
March 7, 2016 at 6:01 pmI’m with you, it’s really hard. Some days are better then others.
Siobhan (BeFree Project) says
March 9, 2016 at 4:43 pmI agree 100% no one life is perfect, everyone struggles with something. One of my quirks is that I have a habit of snacking late at night and the other day I ate a whole sleeve of Girl Scout Cookies. My life isn’t perfect by any means and I appreciate you sharing your quirks with your readers. You must be my Internet BFF I love researching everything online too. I’m at the library at least 3-4 times per week.
Siobhan
http://www.befreeproject.com
Sara says
March 9, 2016 at 4:49 pmI’ll admit, I snack a lot too. After all, why eat just one cookie when you could eat the whole bag?
Nat, Website Superhero says
March 10, 2016 at 4:03 pmI loooove how you embrace your quirkiness (frankly, you sound adorable and we share some of those quirks!) and imperfections. We’re freakin’ human, not robots, not mannequins, not whatever. We’re women. We’re people. Beautifully imperfect. Didn’t Anais Nin say “perfection is death”? 😉
Sara says
March 11, 2016 at 1:48 pmBeautifully imperfect. I love that.
Raewyn says
March 14, 2016 at 11:58 pmI love this! I have so many quirks, I can’t just pick one! Maybe, my black cloud – named Tut Tut – he basically follows me around and makes my life inconvenient but not horrible or bad.
Caterina L G Snyder says
March 28, 2016 at 4:50 pmI Love this Sara, it’s wonderfully insightful and real and utterly grounding. Thank you for sharing your quirks, quirks are the best! (BTW the my fav quirk quote is “I’m not weird I’m limited edition”)
Alissia Haggard says
May 6, 2016 at 2:04 pmFirst of all, LOVE this post. I feel like I have too many to name. When I became a mom, I used to be uber jealous of all those moms making things on Pinterest and blogging these perfect pictures of their lives. What I realized is no matter what, that’s not who I am. And that’s okay. Great post! 🙂
Lauren Eliz says
November 11, 2016 at 9:09 amHI girl! I just stumbled on your page going through my pinterest account.. I love your mission to embrace imperfection!
Reach out to me when you’re ready ! I would love to collaborate <3 <3
Keep being awesome girl!