Each day we try to do things better than we did yesterday. We strive for perfection in every area of our lives, thinking that all we have to do is get better at our efforts and we’ll finally be happy.
We often get frustrated because we make mistakes and can’t seem to get things right. We fall short of our expectations and those of others, and feel like nothing is changing. Sometimes it’s almost as if our every effort made no difference at all.
It’s not until we accept our mistakes and our failures that we’ll grow. We have to accept our past, rather than deny it. To acknowledge that it was part of our journey and it does not define who we are. What defines who we are, is what we do now and how we respond to what happens to us.
Be proud of the things that you experienced because they shaped you and made you better. There is a reason for every bit of pain and difficulty you have experienced. Whether it was to make you stronger and to help prepare you for something that was to come, or so you could encourage someone going through the very same thing.
Think about how pearls are made. When an irritant tries to invade an oyster, a smooth substance called nacre covers it as a defense mechanism. It becomes completely encompassed over time, and as a result, a pearl is produced.
You are the pearl of the story. Through difficult experiences, you are developing into the person you are meant to be. You are growing every day, even if the progress isn’t evident.
You are perfectly imperfect, and that is exactly how you’re supposed to be.