The Beauty of Being Imperfect
The other day, one of my clients asked me if I ever slip. “You know, do you ever cheat? Mess up? Eat emotionally? Are you ever bad?” First and foremost, I don’t believe in being “bad” but I totally knew what she was getting at.
The truth? Of course I do! The #1 thing I want you all to know is that I am by no means perfect, nor do I preach anyone should strive to be perfect. In fact, I don’t really believe in perfection. To me, true beauty lies in our imperfections.
In college, I thought being bad was skipping the gym, eating a slice of pizza, cheating on my diet, going over 1,200 calories, drinking too many margaritas, and having too much fun. Because of this, I’d punish my self by over-exercising, starving myself (followed by bingeing), trying a new diet, cutting back even more on calories, and staying in when all my best friends were out living their fabulous, young lives.
Does that sound like perfect to you? Hell no! To me, someone who lives a fun, free, balanced life full of imperfections is much more beautiful.
So you want the truth on my totally perfectly imperfect life? I eat cheeseburgers when I want them….and I eat kale too. I have a love affair with cheese, wine, sushi, and dark chocolate…but I thoroughly enjoy every last bite and eat them with gusto & pleasure. I drink coffee in the morning. I don’t “need” the coffee but it makes me feel warm, cozy & focused.
I heart green smoothies…but I also love a good night out of drinking and socializing with friends. Sometimes I over-indulge…but I start over and live by the philosophy that “Every day is a new day.” I believe that what we do 90% of the time matters much more than what we do 10% of the time. I’m not a vegan or vegetarian, nor am I a meat-eater. I’m just me.
I enjoy running for my body & mind and yoga for my soul. I’m not a fan of Cross-fit style workouts…and I’m OK with that. Once in a while I’ll take an entire week off from working out…and other days I’ll do double-headers. Sometimes I stay up way too late catching up on episodes of our favorite shows with The Boy. Sometimes I sleep in. Sometimes I wake up at 6 a.m. to write.
I’m mostly a happy gal but occasionally I have my “off days.” When I have a stressful day at work or get into a fight with The Boy, usually I cry or go for a run but sometimes I dig into a bag of chips and salsa instead.
I listen to my body. I eat what I want to eat at that moment. I suck at baking, I hate planning ahead and although I love cooking sometimes all I want to do is order take-out Pad Thai. Ingredients matter much more to me than calories or fat content. I believe in supporting the local economy and farmer’s markets make me feel like a little kid on Christmas. But I also shop at Whole Foods…and Trader Joe’s…and Stop & Shop.
Rather than feeling guilty about my actions, I get curious. I’m imperfect. I’m human. And that’s beautiful.
Here’s the thing: while I may not be perfect, I live in a way that makes me feel my very best self. After all, nothing else really matters!
Do you strive for perfection? How are you perfectly imperfect?
September 3rd, 2013 at 11:20 am
Love this post! I’ve come to the conclusion that no one is really perfect. Lately I’ve actually been switching my typical crossfit workouts for pure barre classes and while at first I had an initial freak out that it wasn’t intense enough, I decided to roll with it because it is what my body is loving now and I look forward to every single class! It’s all about that balance 🙂
September 3rd, 2013 at 12:59 pm
@Danielle Thanks Danielle! I agree..balance is key 🙂
September 5th, 2013 at 4:14 pm
AMEN!!! I love how real you are and honest and ya know what? sometimes life happens and sometimes that may mean 4 glasses of wine and some chips 😉 And sometimes it means a green smoothie and a larabar! Awesome post!
September 5th, 2013 at 5:17 pm
@Jolene EXACTLY! You know balance, girl 😉
September 20th, 2013 at 11:38 am
no perfection for me! i like that you started this post by acknowledging that first and foremost, there are no “bad” things to feel badly about because we shouldn’t classify foods, activities, etc as bad or good. that’s what i’m really trying to get away from. but i still have the associations of “bad” in my head, and whenever i feel guilty for them i try to remind myself of all the “good” i do too. i deserve to enjoy life in whatever form it comes!
September 21st, 2013 at 7:45 am
@Caitlin Love the acknowledgment here! Whenever I find myself labeling things as “good” or “bad” I try to look past it to see what emotions are truly behind it. After all, things like food and fitness are just things after all and should not take over our emotions. xo xo
October 8th, 2013 at 3:16 am
This is such a great post. The 90%/10% line really stands out to me, I often have friends condescend me for indulging or partying when the rest of the time I treat my body so well. I will have to remember that for next time 😉
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October 8th, 2013 at 4:23 pm
@Bianca I’m glad you enjoyed the post Bianca. It’s all about balance, girl! No shame in treating yourself here and there. Keep up the great attitude 😉