Letting Go of Perfectionism: Embracing Growth and Progress

The world has no shortage of advice, voices shouting from every corner telling us who to be, what to do, and how to get there. Yet there’s a missing piece that can’t be ignored: we aren’t a one-size-fits-all people. Each of us is uniquely and wonderfully made, no two people alike—even our children. We each carry something extraordinary, and that means our journey will look different from anyone else’s.

Hands holding a yellow flower

In our uniqueness, we need to learn how to take what serves us and release what doesn’t. It’s easy to feel pressured by society’s endless standards and feel as though we’re falling short, especially as moms juggling so much. But God didn’t call us to be perfect. Perfection belongs to Him alone. What He does ask of us, though, is to pursue excellence, to hunger for growth, and to embrace a spirit of learning.

When we let perfectionism control us, it can quietly hold us back from our divine purpose. Waiting for everything to be “just right” stops us from stepping out, serving others, and yes—even serving our children. We begin to see ourselves as “not enough” and, sadly, can pass this mindset down to our kids. That nagging feeling of not measuring up is contagious. If we aren’t careful, we’ll unintentionally teach our children to fear failure and wait for the “perfect” time that may never come.

But let’s be the generation that cuts ties with what doesn’t serve us. Let’s redefine what striving looks like: moving forward with progress, not perfection, one small step at a time.

Mom and daughter baking

Personally, I used to be afraid of baking. I’d never done it before, and I feared that whatever I made wouldn’t turn out perfect. But one day, I decided to leap. What I found surprised me: the simplest recipe, the one I worried wasn’t “good enough,” was the one my family loved most and kept asking for again and again.

We’ll never know the beauty that’s possible until we try. Let’s give our children the confidence to pursue learning, to fall, get back up, and try again. Because in the end, what we’re passing on is more than a skill or a task—it’s the courage to keep going and grow along the way.

Perfection isn’t the goal. Progress is. And that’s the best gift we can give them.