It Doesn't Have to Be Perfect.

It really doesn't. Life doesn't have to be perfect. You and I don't have to be perfect. Our goals and dreams don't have to be perfect. Our days don't have to be perfect. Our friends don't have to be perfect.

I was really reminded of this this week when I was reading one of the alumni blogs from my college. One writer, a 2009 grad, was talking about how you can't be afraid to have your career path meander a little--or a lot. You can't be afraid to try new things, and ultimately, you can't be afraid to fail. And you can't be so focused on finding the "perfect" job or "perfect" life that anything less than that ephemeral and elusive ideal feels like settling. And she reminded readers of this classic quote:

Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

Just don't. Don't pursue an ideal that you know can never really happen when if you opened your eyes, you just might see a satisfying possibility right in front of you. I'm all for not settling, and holding out for the best, but sometimes by doing that, I've ignored something great. Don't let "not settling" turn into a paralyzing inaction while you wait around for perfection, because it won't happen. Perfect shouldn't be the goal--"good" or "excellent" or "satisfying and fulfilling" should be.