Does having to have everything perfect all the time mean that there is little time to relax and enjoy things? Are you constantly tidying up, worrying about what others think, scared of making a mistake, always having to look your best? 

It must be exhausting!

Do you ever reach that impossibly high goal that you set for yourself, or do you always think that you could have done better? I can remember how it felt when my parents asked what had happened to the other 2% when I got 98% in a test.

Nobody has to be perfect – we all make mistakes because we are human beings with frailties. It’s great to aim to do your best, to work hard at whatever you are doing, whether it’s paid or unpaid work or play. Sometimes we do get a perfect result, and that is cause for celebration, but expecting perfect results all the time is unrealistic, and just sets you up for failure. It’s the effort, not the result that counts.

What really matters in this life is relationships. Does it really matter that we have a perfectly tidy house (as opposed to a reasonably tidy house) if we are sitting in it feeling lonely and unwanted? A bit of mess, but with family, friends and/or pets around and feeling loved is a much happier place.

Try leaving a little bit of mess occasionally – leave it and go and have some fun. That will be a comforting and pleasurable memory down the line, and who will remember or care that you left the beds unmade for one day if instead you had plenty of laughs with those you love.

Life is too short to be constantly worrying about what others think. Have some fun instead.

Photo by Evelyn Mostrom on Unsplash