One of the most exciting things that I have found about my recovery is that it is a journey, not a destination. I always thought I had to be perfect at the moment rather than allow the moment to further perfect me. I say “further“ perfect me, because I will never be perfect. I used to think for me to measure up I would need to be more than I was capable of being. Regardless of the situation, I struggled to be adequate. You were only asking me to be who I was and since I didn’t like who I was I tried to be more of someone else. I was striving for perfection when all you wanted was progress. I was beating myself up over something I could never attain. In the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous, it states on page 60 “we claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.” This is one of the reasons that I often tell you that I just want to be the best possible version of me so I can best serve others. Now, let’s not allow that to be an excuse for not striving for perfection. Even though it is not realistic of not reaching perfection, shouldn’t be my reason for not striving toward that ideal. I have previously stated, that the higher I realistically raise the bar the more I will accomplish. Most of us operate on a less than 100% effort. With that, I will most likely not achieve my goals 100% of the time. Therefore, if I set my bar too low my accomplishment will be even lower. On the contrary, if I raise my personal expectation higher I will accomplish or become more than I would have if I had set the bar lower. My point is, even though I claim progress, not perfection it does not mean that I do not strive for perfection. It merely means in my pursuit for perfection I am only able to claim progress.
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Robert Pardon
Robert is the Recovery Guy. Getting clean and sober on April 25, 1986 has given me the insight and practical skill set to not only stay sober, but to also re-invent myself to the person I always wanted to become. Showing others how to do this is my life goal.
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