E. G. Bella

Perfectionism is a funny thing.

It can be a blessing, and a curse, to paraphrase one of my favorite TV show protagonists, Mr. Monk.

Being a perfectionist, caring so much about making something as best as it can possibly be, can lead to some astounding projects. Perfectionists accomplish some of the most amazing things, and their creations can be some of the best that you ever find. Perfectionists are often sought out, hard workers.

But perfectionism can also slow a person down, cause them to second-guess, redo, and procrastinate to the point of never accomplishing anything at all. It can cause us to chicken out of sharing our talents and passions out of fear that we’ll never be good enough. It can keep us from doing what God calls us to.

A blessing and a curse.

I’ve wrestled with perfectionism over the years, and I’ve fluctuated between being thankful for it, and wishing that I could just send it away and never experience it again. It leads me to be detail-orientated, and to strive to do the best that I can, but it always slows me down and makes me insecure about every little thing that I do.

And what’s perhaps the hardest part for me is that I can never be perfect, even though I want so badly to be. No matter how hard I try, how long I work on something, it will never be entirely without flaws. That just isn’t possible this side of Heaven. Only God is completely perfect and flawless.

So as much as perfectionism may motivate me to do a great job on something, sooner or later I need to fight that urge and be willing to let go of my still imperfect creation, project, or goal. I need to accept that I can’t get that thing to perfection – but that it’s still worth sharing, doing, and accomplishing.

Do you struggle with this? Has perfectionism ever made life difficult for you? How do you cope with it?

I’m happy to say that I’ve made progress over the years, for the most part. This blog has been a great part of that. I know my posts aren’t perfect, and for a while, that made every post nerve-wracking. I wondered if it was even worth it. If the lack of perfection would humiliate me or make people hate this site.

But as I’ve continued to blog, I’ve been shown that even imperfect posts can positively influence someone’s life. They were still worth sharing. And that applies to every aspect of life.

A home-cooked meal doesn’t have to be perfection to lighten someone’s load. A kind note or word doesn’t have to be perfectly eloquent to comfort someone or to uplift their heart. A story doesn’t have to be flawless to have a powerful impact on someone and never be forgotten.

As they say, anything worth doing is worth doing well. And anything worth doing well is worth sharing.

Like I said, I’ve gotten better about remembering that God doesn’t expect us to be perfect. He’s fully aware that we’re still imperfect beings. But sometimes I still need reminders that it’s okay to do and share things that aren’t going to be flawless. And I’ve heard from others that I’m not alone in this.

So today, I wanted to share fifteen of my favorite quotes that I’ve found about perfectionism. If you’re someone that has struggled or continues to struggle with perfectionism, I pray these reminders give you encouragement and hope today!

(Disclaimer: Me sharing these quotes doesn’t mean that I agree with everything that someone has said, or share 100% of their values. I do, however, agree and appreciate the quote.)

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1. “Absolute perfection belongs not to man, nor to angels, but to God alone.”
(John Wesley)

2. “Perfectionism doesn’t believe in practice shots. It doesn’t believe in improvement. Perfectionism has never heard that anything worth doing is worth doing badly–and that if we allow ourselves to do something badly we might in time become quite good at it. Perfectionism measures our beginner’s work against the finished work of masters. Perfectionism thrives on comparison and competition. It doesn’t know how to say, “Good try,” or “Job well done.” The critic does not believe in creative glee–or any glee at all, for that matter. No, perfectionism is a serious matter.”
(Julia Cameron)

3. “Learning to let go is not giving up! It is simply passing the burden to a better fighter (God), so you can fight another day.”
(Shannon L. Arder)

4. “A pursuit for perfection is the most leading cause of procrastination in artists.”
(Neeraj Agnihotri)

5. “…No one ever told her it was okay to make mistakes. No one told her there was nothing wrong with needing help. No one told her it was normal to feel upset, or angry, or overwhelmed now and then. Everyone in her life took her perfectionism for granted and didn’t realize how suffocating it was. And because no one gave the young woman permission to be human, she thought she was a failure for being one.”
(Chris Colfer, Worlds Collide)

6. “Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best.“
(Henry Van Dyke)

7. “Perfectionism is a dream killer, because it’s just fear disguised as trying to do your best.”
(Mastin Kipp)

8. “Perfectionism is a delusion that can rob one of a very successful, enriching life if not careful.”
(April Bryan)

9. “God who is eternally complete, who directs the stars, who is the master of fates, who elevates man from his lowliness to Himself, who speaks from the cosmos to every single human soul, is the most brilliant manifestation of the goal of perfection“
(Alfred Adler)

10. “Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.”
(Harriet Braiker)

11. “Progress not perfection… you can’t be perfect at everything… but you can gain progress on a daily basis.”
(Court McGee)

12. “Have the courage to be imperfect.”
(Alfred Adler)

13. “Perfectionism doesn’t make you feel perfect, it makes you feel inadequate.”
(Maria Shriver)

14. “If I waited for perfection… I would never write a word.“
(Margaret Atwood)

15. “Redemption is not perfection. The redeemed must realize their imperfections.“
(John Piper)

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Did any of these quotes speak to you today? Let me know your favorite/s in the comments below, and while you’re there, let me know if there’s a topic you’d like to see more quotes about!

You can find more of my quotes compilations by going to this page (click here).

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,
so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 
That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults,
in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.
For when I am weak, then I am strong.
(2 Corinthians 12:9-10 _^NIV)

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