Perfectly Imperfect
Making changes in our routines and habits is never easy. It’s even harder when we get conflicting messages about what the best course of action even is. When it comes to reducing our impact on the Earth, I feel like we’re bombarded with messages that we’re not doing enough. And the truth is, we’re not. But that’s not a reason to remain paralyzed by the fear of not doing enough.
I don’t believe that the solutions are entirely on the shoulders of individuals
While I applaud the minimalists, zero wasters, buy nothing gurus and more out there, none of those are me. I’ve tried and failed in part because those are too big of a change for me. And in part because I don’t believe that the solutions are entirely on the shoulders of individuals alone. Sure, we all need to take steps, but we also need to expect the same of businesses, governments, and non-profits.
We need to act how best fits us individually
The message that the Earth can be saved one LED at a time is just not true. It’s one LED, one compost pile, one reconnected local supply chain, one town council, one state advisory board, one judge, one Governor, one Senator, one President at a time. And so we need to act how best fits us individually. For some that’s zero waste or getting rid of a car, for others that’s volunteering on their workplace sustainability committee, for another it’s working on a campaign, for another it’s the simple act of voting. They’re all needed.
It’s time to break up with perfectionism
I saw a meme recently that really struck a chord. We don’t need 100 perfect zero wasters or 100 perfect vegans. We need thousands (or millions) of people making imperfect attempts at something. This doesn’t give us a pass to pat ourselves on the back and call it a day, but it does give us space to accept our imperfection and keep working. It’s time to break up with perfectionism.
Let's make perfectly imperfect progress
So let’s do this. Let’s support each other in all our imperfect glory. One light bulb, one bar shampoo, one vote at a time. That’s how we’ll make perfectly imperfect progress.
