I recently had a conversation with my mother about the first time she saw anger and frustration out of me. I was two years old, and I would walk out of my room crying and angry. She would ask me what was wrong, and I wouldn’t say anything. She said that I did this consecutively for two weeks until she figured out what was going on. She tried to put a picture I drew on the fridge, and I told her no because it wasn't good enough. I was getting angry because I couldn’t color inside the lines.

Even at the age of two, perfectionism was inside of me. And I was attaching what I could produce to bring value to my life.

This is the core root of perfectionism. The reason so many of us want a perfect product is because we innately want to be perfect people, and we want our product to reflect the individual value of ourselves. 

Here’s the thing: we’re all going to create something that is messy. We’re all going to to do irrevocable things that we wish we could take back. You’re going to say something that you won’t agree with later. We all make decisions based on where we are in life, what we currently invest our souls into, and what drives us to stand our ground on particular subjects. Just know that down your life path, you’ll probably look back and think you screwed up. And your perfectionist spirit will hate that. 

Here's the thing we all have to remember: we're a bunch of screw ups. And that’s cool. Because you don’t have to be perfect to be who you are. If I’m saying anything, it’s this: be yourself. Don’t hide your personality from other people. Stand up for what you believe in. Always do the right thing. Be passionate. Rise above the peer pressure of those around you, and live authentically. Force yourself to be who you really are.

When you look back on your life and the crazy things you said and did, you’ll have a smile on your face, because even though right now you might think it was an immature act, you knew you were standing ground on what you believed in. The only person who wants you to be a perfectionist is you. 

So today, you’re going to read through Psalm 62 and learn about total reliance on God. Focus these words in your life when you’re battle the inner conflict of being perfect. Focus in on where David says that "only God comes down from his high position.” Notice how GOD is the one in the high position, not you."

We’re not perfect. And we don’t have that high position because only God is perfect.

I’m a screw-up. And so are you.

And that’s perfectly okay.

Be a screw-up.

Screw ups always win the battles against perfectionists.