Loving Imperfection

“I didn’t really become comfortable with myself until I was able to accept my own weaknesses.” – Josh Cohen

Loving Imperfection

Josh and his brother Matt are in the troughs of starting a new business.  They saw an opening in the market and devised products and services to assist thousands of people to live better lives.  They’ve invested a lot of their own capital and have even raised money through a crowd funding mechanism.  Now they’re getting assistance through Cooperative Venturing and I have the good fortune of working as a volunteer member of their team.

When we starting our work together I made a point of saying, “We know the presentation you’re going to make to us is not going to be perfect.  And, it won’t ever flawless!  Our purpose is to work with you in a way that will enable you to think of things you haven’t thought of yet and to help you get past hurdles you haven’t been able to clear.”  Then our targeted interaction began – there’s nothing like being able to see yourself through the eyes of other people.  It develops deep relationships.

Josh stayed late, after our fourth meeting, so we could talk about the striking discoveries he was making about how starting a successful business is similar to living a successful life.  I wanted to share some of his insights with you.

Josh said.  “It’s been challenging to come to accept that our business is far from perfect at this point.  The Cooperative Venturing process reminds me of the process I’ve been going through in my personal life over the past year.”

“I viewed my personal imperfections as my enemy and I allowed them to make my whole life miserable.  I couldn’t accept that they were simply part of who I was and that I could still love my flawed self.”  He explained.  “It wasn’t until I began to do yoga and meditate every day that I began to face my own personal weaknesses.  It’s been a long, hard process!  But, now I look at my flaws and simply laugh at myself.  I’ve come to understand that life is a process of personal discovery and evolution.  As humans we weren’t meant to be perfect.”

 “Yet, we live in a society where people want to get what they want instantly.  And, to make it even more interesting we’re surrounded by false images of perfection.” I replied.

Our conversation went on for quite a while and covered lots of topics, but here’s how Josh told me he began to live joyfully.

“Fall in love with being human!  When I did this I became comfortable with not being perfect.”  Josh went on to tell me that accomplishing this one thing removed the indescribable pressure and angst he was constantly feeling.  It will do the same for you and me.

“View your imperfections as your charm.”  Josh said, “The world would be exceptionally boring if everyone was perfect at everything!”  He told me we should face our weaknesses and realize they’re part of who we are at this moment.

“Realize that nothing is permanent.”  He said that one of the beautiful things about time is that every moment changes.  “When I discovered that I could release the past and design my future, moment by moment, I found the courage to do life changing things, like start a new business!” Josh explained.

“Live a life of discovery!”  Josh described this by saying, “If you try to live by keeping things the way they are, you’ve already lost!  Time marches on and never stops.  Use time as a tool rather than a harsh school!”

Life can be a harsh school when we don’t understand its purpose and the way it works.  I say that as if I already know all about it.  I don’t!  But, I do know that as we talked and I looked into Josh’s eyes it was easy to love imperfection.  Try loving your own imperfection and see if it brings more joy into your own life!