The Imperfect Review

At some point in this life, you’ll get an imperfect review. It’s guaranteed.

Maybe you’re an Airbnb host who is going out of their way to deliver the perfect experience but someone decides to give you 4 stars instead of 5, maybe for something out of your control. Perhaps you’re a student who gets an A-, that B+, or even a C. If you’re in a blossoming relationship, the honeymoon period will end one day and a flaw will be exposed - leading to your first argument. And if you’re an artist or writer….well, you can pretty much forget about perfection.

This shouldn’t be a surprise.

Yet, when we feel shocked - betrayed even - whenever this happens because it hurts our pride, it feels personal. What if we actually took Don Miguel Ruiz’s advice shared in the Four Agreements to heart: Don’t take anything personally, because that feedback is often a reflection of someone else? What if we understood that imperfection is a desirable quality? What if we saw conflict and negative response as an opportunity for us improve?

A seed can’t flourish unless it is literally buried in dirt. If you’re doing anything worthy in this world to change it, you’re going to face resistance. Waves are made through forceful energy and resistance.

Rather than focusing on the new car’s first scratch, focus on where you’re going. Instead of getting bitter, we can get better. And that imperfect review? See it as evidence that you’re actually doing something instead of nothing.