Category: My Thoughts

Firstly, everyone has imperfections; there’s not a person alive who doesn’t. Oftentimes, we think people will judge us because of our imperfections, or that we’ll be chosen last because of them. Sometimes that’s true, but more often than not, it’s quite the opposite.

What you consider to be your ‘imperfection’ could be a selling point for someone else (some examples later). Someone I know once told me this, and all these years later, I still remember it:

‘You’re not going to be chosen because you’re perfect. You will be chosen because someone finds your imperfections beautiful.’

Say for example, you’re a singer or an actress/actor and you make a mistake during your monologue or your song. Your voice cracks, or it fades out. You think, “Ah crap, I’m toast now.” The director might think, “That’s really raw – that can’t be forced. S/he’s hired.”

Or maybe you accidentally drew a line or painted over something when you didn’t mean to – you think the whole painting is ruined and yet everyone around you keeps complimenting the changes you’ve made to it.

Now, lets talk about some famous imperfections.

— Melanie Martinez’s tooth gap. Usually tooth gaps are thought to be ugly or gross but in Melanie’s case, everyone thinks it’s cute.

–A multitude of musicians whose voices have cracked during recordings or live performances. The results were that the crowd still loved them, maybe even more than they did before.

–multiple artists who have suffered from mental illness or drug abuse in the past and are still loved and respected.

Some day someone will choose you not because you are perfect, but because you aren’t.

‘Jumping in puddles.’
‘Dancing in the rain.’

When I hear these phrases it reminds me of my early childhood and the carefree attitude that accompanied it; it makes me nostalgic to think of times when it was completely okay to make messes and mistakes in the name of discovering the world and learning. Do you remember when we lost that privilege? Do you remember how it felt?
Why do we teach our children to be afraid of making mistakes when we know it’s normal, healthy, and inevitable? Why do we teach them that they are walking time bombs just waiting to explode? No matter how responsible or mature they are, they will make mistakes. Heck, even fully grown adults make mistakes! True, some people will make bigger mistakes than others, but there’s rarely a mistake that cannot be fixed or made better. Instead of instilling this fear in them, why don’t we tell them how to deal with the aftermath of something that is a normal occurrence? Why don’t we say:
“You will make mistakes, and that’s okay. Here’s how to deal with it.”
‘Dancing in the rain’ and ‘jumping in puddles’ are not about the acts themselves but about the carefree nature and message they display. They tell you it’s okay to get messy sometimes, you don’t have to be perfect, and to make the best of a less-than-perfect situation.
That being said, my point is: don’t fear your mistakes. They’re gonna happen and when they do, it’s not the end of the world, you are strong and brave, and I know you can do this.
Just hold on.