Weekly Prompt #13: Do you find it difficult to embrace your imperfections and acknowledge your strengths?

@ASilentObserver Yes. Mainly because I have grown to greatly dislike flaws & imperfection in general...the only exception I make is in works of art. In art, imperfections are part of what gives a piece its character &--if done well--its merit.

As humans are inherently imperfect, I have no patience for most of them (including myself). If a sentient AI ever emerges & we face a Skynet-type situation, I will root for the robots.

@slowdecline48 Thank you for sharing your perspective. It seems a dislike of imperfections weighs heavily on you at times. You seem frustrated, and understandably so. While imperfections are part of living, focusing on our shared humanity can help reconnect us. How does this affect your daily experiences with others?

That's a hard question to answer... It's possible that my intolerance of human imperfections may contribute to my tendency toward solitude. These days I'm trying to get out more & be sociable, but it's difficult. People who are interesting to talk to are few & far in between, at least to me.

@slowdecline48 I hear you Slow but I appreciate you tried to share your thoughts with me. It sounds like interacting with others can sometimes be challenging. Finding people who share your interests isn't always easy. You have all of us here with you to listen to and to support.

Sometimes I don’t always feel good enough. I do the very best I can but still it’s not enough.

@Derekfan7695 I hear you on feelings of not being good enough. Those feelings can be difficult to endure. You mentioned doing your very best - is there any part of that best that you're proud of or feels satisfying? Please know we are all here with you Derek.

@Derekfan7695 Try to remember this: doing your best is all you can do, because you are only human.

You are not a god. You're not some kind of divine force in human form or anything close to it. None of us are. We are humans; as such, we are flawed creatures indeed. Do you think that an imperfect creature can perform a perfect action or create a perfect thing? It's impossible, Derek...the very notion is absurd.

Once you accept that you are an inherently imperfect creature (by whatever standard of perfection you're going by), then seeing results less than what you'd hoped from your own efforts might not be so difficult to handle.

I know this post is over a month old, but the topic interests me, so I’d like to post my reply here.

Yes, I do find it difficult to embrace my imperfections and flaws at times. I often tend to remember the past mistakes and errors I have made, causing me to feel even worse about myself. I do have strengths but I notice that I always tend to underestimate them and focus more on my flaws.

I am trying to become more self-accepting towards myself. My family and friends often tell me to see the good in myself and not dwell over my flaws, as everyone has them.

@crispPurple129 I am glad you decided to share your thoughts with us, Purple. It sounds like focusing on past mistakes causes you a lot of distress. Your friends see your strengths, and it can be hard to accept kindness from others. Their caring support shows how you positively impact those around you. How you typically talk to yourself about your perceived flaws?

This is probably one of the hardest things for me to do. I can build up people around me and accept their flaws and imperfections much easier than I can for my own. There’s a disconnect here that I struggle to maintain.

@impartialPlum5477 It's understandable to find it difficult to accept ourselves as fully as we accept others. Maintaining compassion for ourselves can indeed feel disconnected at times. You're not the only one to experience this challenge.

@ASilentObserver Do you find it difficult to embrace your imperfections and acknowledge your strengths? What are your thoughts on self-acceptance and self-compassion?

I honestly do find it difficult to embrace my imperfections and acknowledge my strengths. I think self-acceptance and self-compassion are key to improving and in order for us to be able to see things more positively

@KateDoskocilova I hear you, Kate. It's understandable to find embracing imperfections and acknowledging strengths difficult. Focusing on self-acceptance and compassion seems like an insightful view. You doing your best and seem aware of the importance of working on seeing things in a more positive light.