By Ahmed Hassan.
Introduction
Why do we like perfection? As human beings, we are naturally drawn to it, it is human
nature. Making our outfits perfect, receiving only good feedback, taking perfect pictures,
and ensuring our daily lives go perfectly are common aspirations. What drives us towards
perfection is our aversion to criticism. People typically dislike receiving negative comments
about their work. Consequently, we strive for perfection to avoid these situations. While
expectations are pretty much the same as they pressure us to seek perfection in a world
that searching for perfection will make you unhappy and unsatisfied. In the upcoming
sections, I will discuss how expectations and perfection are interconnected, how they can
be harmful, and why perfection itself may be an unattainable goal.
Always expect less.
I started developing this skill over the past two years, and I saw a massive transformation in
how I expect things. I realized one of the main reasons why this generation is full of
unhappy people is because they have expectations. So the more they expect, the more
likely they are to be upset. Expectations are often imaginary, and that’s why people end up
not getting them. Therefore, the real question is, how can we overcome it? The answer is
really simple: ‘expect less.
’ If you advance that skill, you will be much happier because you are not expecting something special. Thus, when it happens, you will accept it as it is. Let me give a simple daily life example: you come home from work, and you are very
exhausted, expecting your family or wife to have already made everything ready for you.
Then, if you don’t find those things when you go back home, you will be upset and even
angry. But if you don’t expect those things when you go back to your house, you will not be
bothered by the fact that nothing is ready for you, and if it is ready, then you will be more
grateful.
Perfection does not exist.
Perfection is a common thing in our lives, but it needs to be avoided in order to face the
reality of life. The question before all of this is, does perfection even exist? It does not! So
why do we stress out about something that is not even real in this universe? It ruins a lot of
things in life, including progress, which is one of the most important things in life. The more
you focus on perfection, the more you are eliminating progress. Progress involves mistakes
and failures. Therefore, people seek perfection in order to keep away from making
mistakes and failing. There is something else that pushes us towards perfection, which is
gaining approval from people. We often seek perfection because we want to show the
world what we can do, even if that thing doesn't please us. However, you can steer clear of
perfection by accepting progress and understanding that failing and making mistakes are
part of life. By doing so, you will be much happier with your life, and you won’t be bothered
by its obstacles.
How they influence one another (Perfection and
expectation).
After you read those paragraphs, you may already notice the similarity that both of them
have. If expectations take place, so does perfection. However, people who expect a lot are
often the people who look around for perfection because they want things to happen
exactly as they wish, which is basically being after perfection. And then we end up
disturbed and agitated. People need to circumvent those two things because they are really
enemies to your happiness, and by chasing them, you will not be happy with your life at all.
Start these habits today and see how your life transforms for the best.
By Ahmed Hassan.
2024
