WHY IMPERFECT IS COOL...
Some people shut down when they are extremely tired. My mind works the complete opposite way, when I am operating on very little to no sleep, I find a unique clarity that only exists when I am operating at a significant sleep deficit. One of those moments came to me this week in Japan. It was an easy going trip, busy and crowded but nothing out of the ordinary for my schedule- the only thing missing was some good hard sleep for a consistent few hours. Snoozes came here and there but nowhere at the level I needed so like I always do, I just went with it. I know a person here who thinks very deeply, he asks questions, he’s highly educated and well informed, and he asks questions that really make you think. Perhaps harder than you want to at that time.So, when he was weaving in and out of Zen concepts and tenets of Buddhism, my tired ears and weary brain were instantly peaked. Especially when he said something about perfection. The idea revolved around thinking about what happens when things are “perfect”- where can they go after that but down? They crumble, they disappear, they morph into a different phase that perhaps is no longer as appealing or satisfying and I started to really wonder about this. Most people I know are striving for some perfect moment. The moment where they’ll have the perfect salary, the perfect mate, the perfect, house, the perfect life….but what is perfect, first of all? Is there any such thing? Did you ever know anyone that, for example, decided to have a baby once they were PERFECTLY ESTBLISHED? Is there ever enough money in the bank, really, before you embark on that journey? People say things like that all the time but when is enough? What is the perfect peak and why wait so long when you have a dream that you want to come true? And, once you achieve this idea of perfect, what happens then? It’s easy to stop striving, or to fall off and not try as hard. I have been thinking a great deal about this since that conversation and I wonder if we’re all chasing something that doesn’t exist and missing the bigger picture?Perfect, to me, is right now- great blessings but with imperfections. I have everything I need but do I want things still? Yes. Do I ever feel off balance? Absolutely. Do I want to continue to achieve much more in business? You bet your ass. So, why would I want things to be perfect? It would leave me with no real new level to aspire to.He said that the Japanese believe that a crystal clear full moon is best viewed under a bit of cloud cover. Think about that and the entire concept…what is it you are striving for, and how do you view your goals and current situation? There’s no real right or wrong answer here, but it’s certainly something to consider. Nobody, and nothing, is truly perfect and what I do know for sure is, that’s OK.