Do you ever get upset when things don’t go your way? Like when you have a plan for the day, and it’s all organized, but then something happens outside of your control, and all of your plans are ruined… does that frustrate you? Do you get angry or upset? I do!! I often get stuck in the trap of wanting everything to be perfect. I want to be perfect, make sure everything goes perfectly, and I even color-code my schedule so I can get everything done perfectly.

But you know what? But I’ve learned over the years, it’s completely impossible to be perfect! And the more I try to be perfect, the more I fail and start to hate myself for falling short! I realized that was a very bad place to be. My amazing husband is so relaxed, and I used to be so jealous of that! He wasn’t trying too hard and he didn’t get upset when things didn’t go his way or as planned. He just shrugged and said “oh well.” For a while I could not understand how easily he could brush it off. I even asked him, “How can you get over things so quickly?!” And he replied, “Why would I let that bother me? It doesn’t make a difference if I’m angry or not.” Then I realized, I needed to loosen up. I needed to understand perfection is impossible, and getting upset about mistakes didn’t help one bit.

I still remember one time in my twenties, I was trying so hard to get my makeup right in the morning before a big meeting. Pressed for time, I made a horrible mistake with my eyeliner, and it made me late. I was so angry I cried, I felt so frustrated, it was like a toddler crying! I’m so thrilled to say that now, years later, I can laugh things off and brush things off so much faster, even when things don’t go well. I still have some freak-outs, I’m not perfect! My goal is to laugh off and be genuine about any mistakes, because I am human, just another person trying to navigate this journey of life. 

So whoever you are, maybe you don’t have a perfect face without any blemishes. That’s okay, me too! That doesn’t mean I don’t take care of myself, that just means I’m imperfect, and that’s normal. Don’t let a blemish steal your joy, love yourself and know you are wonderfully made!

Or if you’re a reader that just got a bad test result, hey, did you study as much as you could? Then at least you did your best. That grade does not define who you are. Keep going, don’t give up, and keep trying to discover your skills and gifted areas. I’m sure you’ll do great in those areas! That reminds me, my worst grades in university were in English class. But that doesn’t stop me from writing! Though I do hope what I write could be good for someone, somewhere, reading this… haha! 

Let us know, could this week’s podcast encourage you? Are you a perfectionist?
Which part stood out to you? What new English phrases did you pick up?