Art for The Soul: Missing Pieces

"The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and begining the work at becoming yourself."
Anna Quindlen

Don't we all aim for perfection?  I feel it is something we are taught from a very young age.  Searching and searching for what we are to be.  How we can make our mark in the world.  What it is that will make us whole.  Something that says "I have arrived."

Do you struggle with trying to be perfect?  I know I do.  In fact I came to the conclusion recently that I was worthless because I can't seem to be that person I aim to be.  I actually gave up.  Literally had a nervous breakdown because I knew the person I want to be will never reflect back to me in the mirror. A book by Shel Silverstein called "The Missing Piece"  struck me hard today.  It was the first I ever heard it or read it. Here is a beautiful youtube video showing the book:

Life is a journey not a place we will ever reach perfection.  In fact being perfect is somewhat uninteresting.  In the story "The Missing Piece" once perfection is achieved life became not as enjoyable, not as exciting, too fast, and mundane.   Do you agree?  I can say that I haven't always agreed with that, but today it is an idea muddling around in my mind.  Ernst Fischer said, "As machines become more and more efficient and perfect, so it will become clear that imperfection is the greatness of man."  As I think on this quote, my mind moves towards evolution and the fact that progress would never have even happened if it weren't for imperfections or mutations.  Now this is not to say that improving ourselves is not good.  I think it is, but we should do it without the goal of perfection.  Instead our goal should be of discovery and enjoying life to the fullest.  Just as we teach our children it is about the process not the product so we too should believe that way about ourselves and our lives.


Our lives are about the process not just the product.  Fail at your attempts.  Try and try again.  Make lots of mistakes.  And the wrinkles will come.  The grey hair will show through.  The imperfections will show making you greater than anything you could imagine.  

"A beautiful thing is never perfect." 
proverb