Letting Go of Perfection

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The battle of perfection constantly wages in me and pulls at the corner of my heart. It is one of those things that I have to be constantly aware of, because when I least expect it, the desire for perfection can bubble up. 

During the holidays, my dream of perfection often tries to re-surface. Whether it is decorating the house, buying gifts, or having parties, I have to fight against my natural lean towards perfection. I envision these magazine perfect moments that rarely happens. Perfection stirs up these illusions of moments that do not exist and are not attainable. Ultimately, they are fake. 

Letting go of perfection was not always my first line of action. In the past, I submitted to it fully. In doing so, my days were filled with endless cleaning, organizing, planning, and over analyzing each and every thing. Instead of being present, I was distant, always thinking of the next thing. 

Perfection was my unspoken goal until I realized perfection does not exist and instead, I had to start the process of letting go of perfection. Perfection was stealing my motherhood. 

Can you relate? Do you feel like you are never truly present? Whether it is the pressure to fit into what we think society wants us to do, or our own inward inclination, something is pulling us towards this perfection. I am here to tell you it is time to let it go. 

Let perfection go

Something beautiful happens as we let go. We are able to breathe. Suddenly, our eyes are opened as the fog disappears and we see all of the beauty hidden in the chaos. Motherhood is full of chaos. No amount of cleaning, organization, or schedules is going to eliminate the chaos. It is simply there and a part of motherhood. The sooner we embrace this truth, the sooner we are able to fully live. 

Living in the chaos of motherhood and embracing the imperfections, well this is thriving motherhood. When we are held in bondage to our perfect expectations, we are trapped and so are those around us. As we learn to embrace the chaos, our kids are learning too. With each smile and every step forward, our kids watch us choose joy over stress. 

During this holiday season, I encourage you to let go of your desire for perfection. Acknowledge what season of life you are in and embrace it. There is beauty in an imperfectly decorated Christmas tree or messy cookies. There is beauty in paper plates and smudged windows. 

Let go of perfection and let the beauty come alive.