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The Liberation of Imperfection: A Path to Authenticity and Stronger Relationships
Releasing the Pressure to be Perfect in Love and Life
I had a profound realization recently that shook my core: not only am I imperfect, a human prone to making mistakes, but it’s a guaranteed fact of life that I will make mistakes. It might not sound groundbreaking, but stay with me.
Historically, I’ve held myself to impossibly high standards in every facet of life — work, relationships, family, friendships. I’ve chased nearly impossible achievement standards. For example, I yearned to be the “perfect” parent, always making the right decisions for my kids. Or the “perfect” partner, flawlessly matching my significant other’s needs and never disappointing them (cue wanting to feel compersion instead of jealousy, for instance). Or the “perfect” daughter, always productive, successful, and present for every family event. One. Hundred. Percent. Of. The. Time.
When I was in an open relationship, this translated to the impossible expectation of being the “perfect” partner to multiple people simultaneously, flawlessly meeting all their needs, never sparking jealousy, and always having enough time and energy for everyone. I salute those who figured out how to do this; I certainly couldn’t.
