Perfectionism Limits Your Experience

One of the tough things about perfectionism is it limits your experience. Here’s what I mean: There are a lot of experiences to have in life. Friendship, marriage, parenting, work, volunteering, leisure activities, sports, music, travel, etc. There’s a lot out there. I don’t know about you, but I want to experience as much as I can during my short run here on earth. I don’t want to miss anything. I want to suck out all the marrow of life.

Life Has Ups and Downs

But life doesn’t always go smoothly. The reality is there are a lot of ups and downs to life. For example, marriage is great, but it isn’t perfect. Honeymoons are awesome, but 50% of marriages end in divorce. Parenting is meaningful, but a lot of times it’s a struggle. Most research shows that happiness decreases significantly after having kids. I love my job, but some days are boring. Sometimes a job doesn’t work out and you get laid off. Travel can be exciting, but then there are times when your plane is 3 hours delayed and everything seems like it is going wrong.

Life is Far from Perfect

The point is our experiences in life are often far from perfect. That’s just the way it is. If you want your life to be more “perfect,” you have to limit your life experiences. For example, how can you know for sure that you won’t suffer through a divorce? Don’t get married. Want to completely ensure your kids don’t turn out terribly? The only way to do that is to not have kids. Want a stress-free job? Work somewhere that doesn’t challenge you. Need to completely avoid plane delays? Don’t buy a ticket.

You Can’t Have It Both Ways

You can’t have it both ways. You can either have a more “perfect” life and limit your experiences, or you can live life to the full and accept both the ups and downs of life. It’s up to you.