Do you struggle with getting down on yourself, especially when you mess up?
Some guilt is spiritually healthy. For example, if we sin and feel bad about it, we may want to repent and do better next time. That’s a positive process.
On the other hand, we can be paralyzed by a fear of making a mistake. This attitude of perfectionism can be poisonous to our progression. Put simply, perfectionism means you want to be better without ever messing up or expressing strong emotions like anger, sadness, anxiety, and fear. Instead of learning from our mistakes and moving on, we spend a lot of energy dwelling on past mistakes or avoiding growing experiences altogether.
Sound familiar? If so, here are some things to think about:
- Emotions are strengths, not weaknesses.
- We can focus on improvement, not perfection.
- God understands that we may sometimes make mistakes. And learning from the mistakes we make is part of His plan for our progression.
- The Atonement of Jesus Christ covers our weaknesses and shortcomings as well as our sins.
Our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, taught that our perfection is pending.1 True perfection will not be achieved in this mortal life, but in the next life, after we are resurrected, through the grace of Jesus Christ.
Show yourself a little compassion. Be as patient with yourself as you would to anyone else going through a learning and healing process. You deserve kindness from others—and from yourself, too!
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Notes
1. “Perfection Pending,” Russell M. Nelson, Oct. 1995 general conference.
Find more resources at MentalHealth.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.