By: Latoya Hammond
Have you ever found yourself having this need for everything and every moment in your life to be “perfect”?
Then girl, I GOTT U!
Let me break it to you . . . PERFECTION is the perfect LIE! So, last night I was on a phone call with my purpose coach and we were talking about writing my blog. We started discussing “why” I had not been writing for a few weeks. She asked me, “What’s keeping you from writing and
blogging?” I shared with her how I just took downtime and did not write.
In actuality, I really didn’t do much of anything. At the end of our call, she asked me another question. “What is it that causes me to procrastinate?” That was something I really had to think about.
First, I had to admit to myself, in total honesty, that I was a procrastinator. You see, I was the kid that would wait until the night before to study and cram for a test. I would wait until the night before to write a paper. Now mind you, I always aced it and always excelled. At that time, I never looked at it as procrastinating. However, as an adult, it became clear that I do
procrastinate. Now, back to the conversation with my coach and her question about why I
procrastinate. I finally answered, “Well, maybe it’s fear or maybe its comfort because it’s how I’m used to doing things. Plus, I’m good at it!”
As we talked, I mentioned the need for everything to be perfect and it is the need for perfection that stops me from moving forward. With that admittance, she said, “BINGO!!!” It is my need for perfection; my need for everything to be right; my need for the right moment in my life; or the right atmosphere. I simply wait for everything to be perfect before I really start to move forward and do something. We all should know nothing in life is perfect. Yet, there are some of us who still strive for perfection. The truth is, there will never be a perfect time. There will never be a perfect moment. We just have to go for it! Just do it!
We cannot allow the need for perfection to hold us back. The next morning as I thought about this need for perfection, I realized that it has really cost me a lot of time and missed
opportunities at work; in my purpose; and time with my boys. The loss of creating memories is the hardest realization of all. If I am being totally transparent, time was lost waiting for the right moment to strengthen my marriage. I have always had in my mind that I need that perfect moment to say something to someone, or do something, or the perfect time to share how I feel. Instead, I just should have lived in the moment! Telling myself, “Okay, this is what I want to do, this is what I want to say” and make it happen. But Instead, I worried about everything being perfect.
I believe this need for perfection is rooted in the fear that I am not enough. If EVERYTHING is “just right” then somehow so am I. The Bible says, “God will be perfecting us until Jesus
Christ returns.” There really is only Perfect One and that is the Lord God Almighty. So, I
encourage you today to really look at perfection as this idea that holds you back and keeps you really isolated from living in the moment. Perfection keeps us from amazing and beautiful moments and accomplishments in life. This need for perfection delays your purpose; paralyzes your potential; and keeps you from discovering who you are! Perfection is the perfect lie!
Listen ladies, God does not get the glory out of perfection. What do you need God for if you
already have it all together? God says, “He will perfect that which concerns us!”