Perfection

I think a lot of people let the idea of perfection get in the way of living. When you expect perfection you raise the bar so high, most of the time you don't live up to it and you're left disappointed. I don't think anything is perfect in day to day living, and it's not meant to be. I'm far from perfect. I'm as flawed as the next person and happily accepted that many years ago. If I was living with the expectation of being perfect or carrying out my tasks perfectly, I'd probably be too scared to try most of the things I have tried.

I do try to do my best though. I try for that in every thing I do. When I write this blog, I try my best. Not so it's the best blog or to outshine any other bloggers. I do it because I want it to be the best I'm capable of. Some days I get it right, some days I don't, but I'm okay with both.

My guess is that this topic wouldn't mean much except that it stops some people from trying new things. They're scared of failure. They don't want to make mistakes. I think mistakes are one of the greatest learning tools. They show you you've done something wrong and if you stop and think about it, often they show you how to fix the mistake as well. Whenever I make a mistake I know that what I did wrong, and what I did to fix it, will be cemented into my brain forever. And although I don't like making mistakes, when I do, I gratefully accept the lessons they have to teach me.

When I first started this blog, in the first few months, I occasionally used material I'd written for a book proposal. I sent it off to three publishers and they all said no to me. But I believed in what I had written, turned that book proposal into this blog and a few months later, Penguin came knocking and offered me a book contract. If I had my choice of book publishers, I would have chosen Penguin, but I didn't send my proposal to them because I didn't think I was that good. Now I have one published Penguin book and am in the process of writing another. It's a good lesson in trying your best in everything you do. When all the ducks are lined up, your best if often exactly what others want.

Mini packs of green beans - servings for two - blanched and ready for the freezer.

So instead of concentrating on perfection, concentrate on giving, on love, on generosity, self-reliance, family tradition, home skills and understanding. You never know, the end result might just be close to perfect.

Decluttering update:
Buried deep in the back of the bathroom cupboard, hair dye! (circa 1998), some disgusting looking orange bath bombs (ugh), two old hair brushes and a hair clip.  They're all going to the rubbish bin, except for the hair clip.

I hope you're continuing along with me. Do your updates in the comments here if you're linking to your blog, or at the forum if you don't have a blog or want to join in the discussions about decluttering.