Nobody is perfect…
If you think this article will teach you how to avoid mistakes… well, you’ve already made one. But as Robin Williams says in Good Will Hunting , “You ain’t perfect, sport.”
As a seasoned perfectionist, I have always valued the pursuit of greatness, in matters both large and small. Unfortunately, with any relentless ambition, there comes a point of diminishing return, where in order to reach the best possible outcome, we are forced to relinquish our expectations.
Sounds simple, like licking your own elbow, but try doing it and unexpected opposition appears.
It is hard to let go of the very move that got us to the dance, but diminishing our fear of error is precisely what weaves an unforgettable performance.
Think of a rocket being launched into space. The booster is essential to getting it off the ground, however, once the rocket reaches a certain altitude, the booster detaches, allowing the rocket to ascend into space. If the booster remained attached, then the rocket would never be able to leave the earth’s atmosphere.
As perfectionists, you and I have trouble letting go of our boosters. This is simply because we hate making mistakes – where hate is a strong word. Until we learn how to embrace our faults as much as our success, we can never reach the heights we are truly destined for.
Ultimately, learning how to fail will set you free in ways you cannot begin to imagine.
Of course, we’ve all heard the hallmark phrase “failure leads to success.” If that were true, there would be only successful people living in the world today. Failure actually doesn’t lead us anywhere, it only presents a crossroad. It is our reaction to failure that decides which road we go down. In fact, our disapproval of mistakes does us far greater harm than the mistakes themselves. Fortunately, this is something we have the power to change, simply by embracing our shortcomings.
Like you, I’ve spent the majority of my life trying to live up to the potential of a Titan, only to find that the key to truly being superhuman lies in the very word itself: superhuman .
In other words, be more human.
Written by: Allen Vilenskiy
