Last week I attended my kids preschool graduation ceremony and it was such a delight to see a group of pre-schoolers singing on stage. It sounded more like a mix of mumbling, shouting and then there was one kid with a loud out of sync voice who got our attention, thus adding to the bouquet of our wonderful memories. How insipid a perfection would sound in this scenario!
Sure enough, real artists are born when people feel uninhibited and free to make mistakes. If everyone followed recipes in a book perfectly there would be no new recipes. Too much hot peppers in the standard recipe! Tada, you might have just created a ‘chipotle casserole’!!
Imperfection is the mother of creation. To be perfect is to comply with the standards  and it does not let you think out of the box.  It is like eating a cereal without the crunch. The very reason perfect hairdo is kind of unexciting and looks all made-up, while slightly ruffled hair look is attractive. Similarly, a perfectly tidy, sterile house looks spotless but a cozy house with a lived-in feeling is warm and delightful.
Inevitably, embracing imperfection is not easy! For it means to develop an ability to let go and be receptive to mistakes. People in pursuit of perfection often beat themselves up as they have extreme performance standards to measure themselves and others. This eventually is a recipe for discontentment.
Perfection is fictitious whereas people are real. Living by this theory lets me be me with my insanity and sloppiness, and also it makes it easier to embrace the world around with its flaws.
Photo credit: musicfanatic29 via Foter.com / CC BY
Photo credit: fragmented via Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND
Photo credit: symphony of love via Foter.com / CC BY-NC