Standing Alone

Will you return to me? Will you stand by my side, help me in my times of need, support me as I face the reality of my making? Will you be patient when I stumble, when I fall, when I rise to try again?

I have to admit, there are times in life when I feel like an abject failure; like I have little to offer and less to contribute. These times of self-doubt may be fleeting, yet they hurt, leaving unseen scars that can affect the future.

 These moments can always be traced back to the impossible quest for perfection. Like many others, I seek perfection, sometimes not realising that this very concept is a life journey that will never end.

Spending time online viewing a force-feed stream of seeming perfection re-enforces the concept that you are not good enough, that you lack the skills required to succeed truly, that your value is less than all others. 

But this veiled perspective of reality is just an unhealthy marketing mask designed to sell you the information that will make you like everyone else on earth. As if being clones of each other will be enough to fill the empty pit that sometimes appears in our souls.

After experiencing moments like these, which have the potential to wreak untold havoc on your soul, I always take a moment to calm myself and inevitably stumble onto the same conclusion. 

The people that I admire most from all walks of life have spent their entire lives making mistakes in a quest to perfect their passion. Often sacrificing all else for the one goal that drives them forward day after day, seemingly pursuing their elusive dream with a single-minded focus few could imagine.

These professionals that I admire live an existence that is very different from the fear base marketing crowd that sells perfection, resembling a faded copy of themselves. True masters share, encourage and believe that everyone has a unique vision of what could be. 

They instinctively know that sharing, teaching, and being generous is the best way to learn, to evolve, to move forward ever closer to perfection. Yet, they also know that perfection is the dream of an impossible destination.

I first experienced this when I started to learn Tai Chi. The pursuit of perfection is a great motivator, yet its expectation can be a cruel master.

Through a patient and giving teacher, I quickly learned that it is impossible to obtain perfection. Simply because every day you practice, you will evolve, and there will never be a day when this ceases to be a firm reality.

The simplicity of this lesson struck a chord deep within me. It shone a light onto an aspect of my reality that was ensuring I stayed stagnant in the very place I wanted to escape. 

The act of practicing, knowing I will never be perfect, freed me from my self-limiting fears. This freedom allowed me to change my view, inviting me to handpick a new educational existence presented by true masters, gracious enough to share.

Thank you to all of the inspiring people who have dedicated their lives to their passion. To the select few who have risked more than they have gained journeying the less-traveled path to a place of peace, happily knowing that they have done their best but are far from perfect.