I have a great dad, who has a tendency to over-use certain phrases and one-liners. Growing up, I heard "Close, but no cigar", "You can't always get what you waa-aaant" (in the style of Rolling Stones), and "The floor is not a storage space for your clothes" more times than I can count.
My dad also always told me that "perfect is the enemy of good". This one has really stuck with me.
Life ebbs and flows, and recently I was in a phase in which it truly felt like I had a PERFECT life. Everything was falling into place and I was at the top of my game. My biggest concerns this past fall ranged from where to find the best stuffed chihuahua for my Elle Woods Halloween costume (One-click shopping on Amazon, obviously!), to whether I'd be able to dance all night in my red heels without my feet hurting (Definitely not, so I threw some spare flip-flops in my purse). I was the girl who everyone could count on for a crazy story from the preceding weekend. There was a running joke that I should be on "depressant" pills to tone down my incessant happiness.
Currently, I am not in that phase. There are some things that I need to change, and some things that are not in my control to change. Things are not perfect.
But they're still good. All of my basic needs are in the bag. I live with my husband in the best city on earth, and we have a house in a great part of town. We are debt-free and have stable jobs. I get to see friends almost every day in some capacity. I'm constantly meeting new people, and becoming involved with various communities. I am continually impressed with the goodness of the people in my life, and I still maintain that I have the most amazing friends in the world. And, yes, there are still parties to look forward to.
Perfect is the enemy of good. To be satisfied only when things are perfect is to set ourselves up for perpetual unhappiness. Even when things aren't perfect, if we focus on the good, we can find joy.
My challenge to myself today, and to you: Don't aim for perfection. Recognize and seek out the good, and use the challenges as opportunities for growth. And always, always, always keep looking forward.
