I mess up a lot. In fact, it’s a daily occurrence.
I can’t remember the last time I ended the day saying to myself… “Wow Michael, that was a perfect day!”
Wouldn’t that be something!
Every day brings a series of challenges, failures and successes. Over the years, I’ve learned that it has everything to do with the way I accept or reject those ingredients.
Come to think of it, my definition of perfection has really shifted over the years. Whereas the ideal of a perfect day used to mean that nothing would go wrong – now the perfect 24 hour period includes a few bumps in the road… a few opportunities to reflect and ask “What could I have done differently?”
No mistakes, no lessons. No lessons, no improvement. No improvement… stagnancy – YUCK!
Alicia Arenas Keeps It Real
I don’t usually blog about blogs… in fact, I think I may have only done it once or twice.
I read a post today by Alicia Arenas from Sanera (one of our guest bloggers). She wrote a great piece titled “Alicia 1 Perfectionism 0″. Go read it!
Over the past year, Alicia has become quite a blogger. I respect her style and approach because it’s real, it means something and she doesn’t pretend to know all of the answers. Her advice comes from the perspective of a person that truly cares… and I think that you can sense that once you read her work.
Perhaps this is why Alicia and I are friends. We both care enough to be real with one another… failures and successes on full display.
Your style is refreshing Alicia! Keep it up!
So… what’s the value in highlighting your failures?
If you want to find people who talk about doing things the right way, you won’t have to look far.
Go to Google and look for “How To” (in quotes) – if you’re feeling lazy, I’ll make it easy… 704,000,000 results.
Now try it again by entering “How Not To” – 42,000,000 results.
Let’s face it, people don’t usually like to talk about what went wrong – it requires personal and public accountability… scary stuff! “How Not To” would require a whole bunch of the ingredients we all too often dread.
But, I challenge you to this. Think back through all of your memorable or meaningful relationships. Further, think about the people that you respect or admire.
Were they always right? Or, were they the people who gave you the truth and opened up… even if that meant exposing their imperfections?
For me, it’s always been the later. Those were the people who taught me something of value… not to mention the positive examples of humility.
Life changes quickly and the surprises are endless. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve bounced up against the walls of adversity a few times in the process. I’m all the better for the lessons and appreciative to friends like Alicia for embracing the beauty of reality.
Ever notice how imperfect a rose is? Amazing isn’t it 
Have you ever had a conversation with someone who presumed to know all the right answers? What was your lasting impression?
Photo Credit, digital cat
Popularity: 32% [?]
{ 9 comments }
