Filipino-Chinese culture always dictates that we should strive for perfection in every aspect of life—in academics, relationships, and career. The mounting pressure from our family and society pushes many of us to believe that achieving the greatest success and reputation should be our foremost goal. Moreover, as social media highlights influencers living over-the-top luxurious lifestyles, we tend to perceive flawlessness as normal and averageness as failure. However, only striving for perfection is a recipe for dissatisfaction while being content with our shortcomings can give us better control over our happiness and fulfillment.
Achieving the best grades or having the most respectable career as life goals may be questionable to those outside our community. For many Asians, these intentions were very justifiable and necessary for our survival back then when only the best of the best could escape extreme poverty. Despite the past advantages of this perfectionism, we now live in a new era where most of us no longer face those harsh circumstances. Our battle to be the best of the best turned from one for survival to that to satisfy our never-ending compulsion. From expecting to receive perfect grades in every class to become multi-millionaires, many of us tend to overwork ourselves to achieve that standard, which turns counterproductive as we lose touch with the fundamental factors to our happiness and fulfillment.
Often, striving for perfection prevents us from appreciating the little things that make life seem worthwhile. Before having ambitions, we used to be children carefree of expectations and valuing everything the world has to offer. Embracing our flaws may seem irresponsible at first, but learning how to love ourselves for our weaknesses and limitations is more liberating than covering them up.
Although, I am not saying that we should give up all our dreams as they drive humanity’s progress. The message here is that we should consider changing our perspective from desiring to be the best to developing the best version of ourselves. By being content with our average selves, we can improve and achieve greatness by growing on stronger roots. There is no such thing as a perfect life, but we can always strive to find our purpose that does not include unachievable heights. Happiness is more likely to come when we base it on grounds we can control, and accepting ourselves for how God made us should be the first step to having this control over our life satisfaction.
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