Not Perfect, and Loving It!

Not Perfect, and Loving It!

by Annie Berryhill

It was a great weekend, but not because I came home with some hardware from a competition. Because of that competition, I really figured out how imperfect I am, and how the pursuit of perfection for most of my life has been a waste.

Come on, you know you have done it too. I saw a picture of myself from the event, and while I was in a position that would reflect proper form, there was a little squish of skin flopped over the waistband of my pants. I saw it, I was sad. But, really only sad for a moment. Because it was so much like a backhanded compliment to myself. Here I was, doing well, having a BLAST, giving it my all, and I was going to reduce it all to disappointment over a little stretchy skin. Geeesh…talk about crazy!

But it was in that moment I realized what I was doing, what I had done with many things for a long time

that thing was the lame-ass pursuit of perfection

It was then, glaring and obvious that I realized I will never, ever have the perfect anything. Not my diet, not my training, not my mindset or even my body. Not my hair, my house, my car, my career, my marriage- NOTHING/NADA is or will be perfect!

Yipee! Yes, YIPEE!! I was so happy about this realization, I could cry right now just remembering the release I felt from it.

I can't perfect myself into anything, but I can do things that make me feel fullfilled, happy, strong, purposeful and beautiful.

I can embrace the wrinkles, rolls, freckles and physical imperfections. What I had always seen as "less than" make me UNIQUE.

I can throw away any thought of comparisons. No one is me, and I am no one else but me. I am special in the world as YOU are special in the world  and there is enough room for all of our "special-ness". In fact, if you or I don't do the thing we were designed to do, the world is a lesser place. Sometimes our greatest shortcoming blesses the greatest amount of people!

Being Perfect drains me of time and energy that I could use for something TRULY important … that of course could be my family, my business, my God, my friends and enjoying the beautiful world that I have been placed in.

Be in the now, not the yesterday. We can't change it anyway, and somethings will always be a certain way, not matter how much we work or will them to be different. Accept who you are and BUILD on it! Dig deep to find love and appreciation for yourself in just the way you were made to be.

Clear away the crap of expectations, limitations, past failures and shortcomings and design a vision for your life that features you being fully YOU, warts and all without all the other stuff that tends to creep in and bring us down.

Get off the merry-go-round of negative thinking … JUMP OFF NOW!

Take good care of you! Rest, Laugh, Relax, Focus on your Passion, Love others deeply, Cry, Forgive, Dream and JUMP! The imperfect world is waiting for you and your imperfect self to come and be a part of it all!

Join me, won't you?

 

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Anne (Annie) Berryhill is a Crossfit Level 1 Trainer, athlete and competitor who owns and operates OC Fitness Revival in Orange County, CA.   Services include personal and group training, nutrition classes and counseling and she teaches people how to get the most out of what they've got.

Contact her today for a class visit or nutrition consultation

(949) 280-3407  Anne@anneberryhill.com

23 Comments

  1. Jen norton on May 10, 2011 at 2:05 pm

    Anne, you are truly a blessing in my life! I am so happy that you have chosen to write about the true stuff that people go thru. You are an inspirational speaker, writer, athlete and my mentor. Thank you for writing this, it completely speaks to me at this very moment and I KNOW you’ll reach others as they read this as well.
    THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. YOU ROCK!!!

  2. Robyn on May 10, 2011 at 2:20 pm

    Anne,  This is refreshing and real and something that SO many people (men and women) spend their lives trying to strive for and are ultimately dissapointed.  I had this realization after my divorce and had to accept who I was, not what I wasn't…and once I did, I was good with it!  There will always be days when you get a little down or annoyed by the saggy skin, etc (believe me, I have PLENTY of it!) but then I decide (yes it's a choice) to be cool with it and put on the bikini anyway.  If someone doesn't like the zebra striped markings of childbirth across my stomach, then they won't like all of me!  You are an intelligent, accomplished, strong and caring woman and I'm so happy to have met you!  Keep it up coach, we're cheering YOU on!!!

  3. Sean on May 10, 2011 at 2:35 pm

    Great article Annie! I needed this. Sometimes I focus so much on the goal that I don’t enjoy the journey. And accentuate every little negative and ignore the positives. This is one of those articles that you need to print up and put on the wall and read it once a week as a reminder!

  4. Patty on May 10, 2011 at 6:28 pm

    Excellent post!!  I've always had a hard time being bigger than all the other girls, and now certainly bigger than the vast majority of cf girls.  But with three little ladies at home, they have brought me to a place of self acceptance.  How can I tell them to love themselves if I am holding myself down?  I love me!!  Confidence is way more attractive than what we may think of as perfect.  So I put on my booty shorts and do my thang.  I have but only one life and I choose to fully LIVE IT!!   

  5. Alana on May 10, 2011 at 6:45 pm

    Annie this article brought tears to my eyes (ok, I cried) as I sit here 'broken' and trying to heal so I can get back out there and compete again.  I have been so sad and depressed waiting impatiently for my injury to heal that I completely ignored  my personal successes during sectionals because 'I wasn't PERFECT'.  The last 7 weeks  have been frustrating but I FINISHED every WOD despite the pain.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU Annie…for reminding me that perfection is not my goal….I needed it!  Love you!

    • Annie B on May 10, 2011 at 9:35 pm

      Hang in there Alana! Heal up completely and move towards your next level when the time is right. You have the heart of a warrior but even warriors are not perfect! Love you to pieces…and completely understand the frustration..Love you right back!

  6. Larissa Parks on May 10, 2011 at 9:33 pm

    Anne~ Love the transparency with your blog post.  It is refreshing and enlightening to know we are just fine the way we are.  No one can be who we were uniquely created to be.  Thanks for the reminder!

  7. Karen on May 11, 2011 at 1:33 am

    Love this, a good reminder. I needed this right now-thank you!
    http://nevertooldforcrossfit.blogspot.com/2011/05/ouch.html

  8. Carol Giambri on May 13, 2011 at 6:05 pm

    Thanks for being in the now and not in the  yesterday talk.  Living with imperfections perhaps like a wrinkle or two is not who we are as humans with great hearts. Anne, great post.
     

  9. Victoria Gazeley on May 14, 2011 at 2:42 am

    You look awesome!!  Amazing how we're our own worst critics, isn't it?  But your freedome from the pursuit of perfection frees the rest of us, and for that I say, 'thank you'!!  Great post, Anne!

  10. Solvita on May 14, 2011 at 4:24 pm

    The perfection is only an illusion created by our mind! You are already perfect as you are, your real you is nothing more than perfect with what ever so called 'made up imperfections'…ego will always look for imperfections to put us down and create suffering…Thanks for sharing!

  11. Donovan Grant on May 14, 2011 at 11:00 pm

    Wow! Powerful article Annie. I think that we can all do well to celebrate our uniqueness. Thanks for the reminder-

  12. Marie Leslie on June 14, 2011 at 12:16 pm

    Amen!  As a recovering perfectionist (sounds like 12-step program, doesn't it?) I have battled this my entire adult life.
    How liberating it is to realize we aren't and don't have to be!  We need to just appreciate being ourselves.

  13. Sue on June 15, 2011 at 7:01 am

    Annie, I missed this post earlier and so glad I found it now….It touched my heart – thanks for your transparency and reminding me how draining this can be to when we put the pressure on ourselves to be perfect.  Great article  – thank YOU!

  14. Elise Adams on July 25, 2011 at 11:55 am

    LOVE this!!!!  We all need a gentle reminder every now and again to be our BEST not some artificial and external measure of perfection.  Thanks for sharing!!!

  15. Michele on July 25, 2011 at 4:05 pm

    Annie, Reminding all of us of something we should all know by now…None of us…not even 1 is perfect. So appreciative of your down to earth way of looking at this issue that exists in everyone's life. You are a real diamond Annie! Lucky your students are and keep up the very good work!

  16. Kim Garst on July 26, 2011 at 3:26 am

    Thanks for reminding me that it is OK to not be perfect! GREAT article, Anne!

  17. Dr. Daisy aka Dr. Mommy on July 26, 2011 at 5:36 am

    Thanks for a wonderful article! Amazing how so many go through life thinking they MUST be perfect when in reality they would have more fun if they embraced their imperfections…thanks again for the reminder!

  18. Tina Winterlik on July 26, 2011 at 9:04 am

    Wow Annie, first let me say you look TOTALLY AWESOME! Second, I'm so glad you made that realization that no one is perfect. That whole perfection thing can lead to terrible righteousness which sets up so many other pitfalls. Anyways thanks sharing such a lovely post and happy that your happy in you own skin. So many of today's problems with stem from the media. Have you seen this http://www.missrepresentation.org/home.html.  Thanks for sharing and have a great day. Tina 🙂

  19. Tina Winterlik on July 26, 2011 at 9:05 am

    http://www.missrepresentation.org/home.html Oh sorry here is the correct link.

  20. Sharon O'Day on July 26, 2011 at 12:15 pm

    This article nudged me further along the continuum from "Aiming for Perfect" towards "Pretty Cool As I Am."  I've done fine with the wrinkles, white hair sneaking in, even the proverbial slower metabolism.  In fact, all the physical stuff.  But, as for the intellectual stuff, the high expectations and demands … I think I need to read your article again! 

    • Annie B on July 26, 2011 at 2:31 pm

      Isnt it the truth that sometimes by people or experiences, we need to be reminded that perfectionism is not the goal of life! Whew! I think we all have one area (or more) that it is more difficult to relinquish our desire for perfection! Rock on Sharon!

  21. Marie on July 26, 2011 at 1:47 pm

    As a recovering perfectionist, this one resonates with me.  THough it's been many years since I had my epiphany, I still battle the demon perfection on an almost daily basis.  Finally recognizing that I was comparing all of me with the best of others was an eye opener.  The next step was recognizing that being perfect won't change anything and won't bring the desired outcome.  Life is so much more fun when I remember these two things.

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