If not now, when?

I read a blog post on perfection recently, and I agree with the author that it is the cancer of our society. The pursuit of perfection has claimed lives and will sadly continue to do so. The author makes a great point in saying that we need to be real in dealing with our lives. He leaves out one slightly important point though, a point that is the key to really destroying the hold that perfection has on us.

We need to be okay with our imperfections. As in, we need to really be okay with and love ourselves despite our imperfections. Really love.

Now, this isn't to say that we need to be okay with the fact that we have eating disorders, or that we have pornography problems, or that we can't write songs as good as other people (curse you , Dan ), or that we take our anger out on other people, or that we are argumentative, or that we're broke but don't want to be, or that we're secretly gay, or that we're not where we want to be in life, or *insert whatever else you secretly hate yourself for*. Being complacent with things you hate about yourself leads to the dark side, my friends. And by dark side, I mean a stagnant, dead sea of a life. Nobody wants their lives to be a huge pool of dead water.

What I do mean is that we need to be okay with the potential that we have. For example, if you currently have a hard time saving money and are always broke, accept the fact that it's possible to have that problem and still be a good person. We read in Ether 12:27 that we are given (note, intentionally given, not allowed to have) weakness that we may be humble. Given. Humble. Ether 12 is a great chapter to read on this because it addresses a few important facts, namely that this is an issue of faith, both in ourselves and in the power of the Atonement, or rather in the Truth of change and forgiveness. Put another way, it addresses the idea that we are not now, nor will we ever be completely defined by the moment we are currently living in. (Another AMAZING chapter is Hebrews 11 . When/if you read these chapters, really try and think what the personal application is for you. What does it mean to have faith? Who do we have faith in? How do we apply that faith? How do we increase faith in ourselves? What is the better country that God has prepared for you? Ultimately, these are questions you will need to answer on your own.)

My favorite definition of humility is seeing things as they are. We are given weakness to see things as they really are; namely that we are not perfect and that, through the grace of God and His Son alone are we able to overcome our weakness. Nowhere in any set of scripture that I can recall reading does it say that we should hate ourselves for our imperfections. I feel confident in that assertion because I've read the entire set of standard works cover to cover.

Friends, that cancer of perfection takes root even if we know we are imperfect. We need to believe in our potential more than we believe in our current skill-set. If we can't see a puppy without kicking it, we need to 1) accept the fact that we can change, 2) realize that every good person on this earth is working on their own puppy kicking habit in their own way, and 3) stop kicking the puppies. If you can't stop immediately, keep trying, but don't ever ever ever ever ever tell yourself that you are a worthless person because you have a predeliction for the yipping sound that puppies make when your foot meets their ribs. Everyone who has ever walked this planet, including the Savior of all mankind, had weakness and temptation for things they wanted that were contrary to a perfect permanent record. And for you folks who cry the heresy call, think about the temptations of the Savior. True, he didn't do allow himself to act on His temptations, but the fact that they are called the temptations means that he wanted them. He wanted food when He was fasting, and He wanted a comfortable life. Instead, He got hunger (which he probably hated, especially since it made his body weak and limited his ability to move and help), and He got nailed to a tree. Somehow though, He seems to have really been okay with the skin he was walking around in.

In all seriousness, I beg you on my knees with my hands clasped and my heart bleeding, PLEASE don't hate yourself because you aren't perfect. Please. Please. Imperfection does NOT decrease your worth as a person, nor does it decrease your potential. In my honest opinion, imperfection increases beauty in a person. It makes you human and relatable. Again, if you have something about yourself that you hate, that is not enough cause to hate yourself. Look at yourself, accept the warts, and learn that no wart has roots deep enough to corrupt the heart that keeps those warts alive. Then get to work removing the wart. And do it with a smile. Because great people are made greater by the scars those warts of imperfection leave.

~taylor