14 Feb 2025
Stacey Turner, founder and CEO of mental health awareness charity It’s OK To Say, is encouraging people to find a life more beautiful this Valentine’s Day…
In a world that often celebrates perfection, there is a quiet and fulfilling rebellion in facing imperfection at every turn. The next time you find you’re being hard on yourself because things aren’t quite working out, you feel lonely or are starting over, embracing imperfection can become a way of living more authentically and deeply, allowing space in a more meaningful way, with valuable lessons learned, so that the next corner is even more beautiful.
It’s about finding beauty not in the flawless, but in the messy, topsy turvy and unfinished. I consider imperfection to be a hidden jewel, and not something to be avoided, amended or hidden away.
To foster a mindset of acceptance and peace, we really need to free ourselves from judgement and unattainable goals, so we are not feeling so let down.
Whether within ourselves or our environment, to find beauty in things as they are, and in their progression brings joy more than we could ever possibly imagine. Being open and seeing the beauty in things that are incomplete or worn reminds us to let go of control or this ideology of ‘perfect’, where we learn to cherish and be grateful for the imperfect, since this allows us to feel and see the magic in the mundane.
Now, there is an art in romancing the everyday. It’s about falling in love with the simple moments that can slip by unnoticed if we don’t allow ourselves to stop and appreciate them.
Whether it’s savouring time with someone and/or in various moments throughout the day, like the stillness of an early morning before the world starts moving, your breakfast, a hot shower or bath, or relishing the quiet after a busy day, romancing the everyday is a mindset of gratitude.
For example, the feeling of being cuddled by the feather duvet, the warmth from the coffee cup, the way the light shines through and creates a beautiful dappled effect. Sunrises, sunsets, the way the rain hits the ground and smells, the way the light dances on a tree’s leaves and of course, love. LOVE in all it’s forms surrounds us in everyday moments, but if we don’t take the time to notice, we miss it.
You’ll miss how your friend just made you a hot honey and lemon drink because you’re poorly, you’ll miss a smile and gesture, you’ll miss the beautiful bouncing sound of laughter or how you made that person giggle, you’ll miss these seemingly small acts that actually carry weight and add value to your everyday. And, it’s these that keep you going and give you hope.
There is an unspoken magic in the everyday if we are willing to allow ourselves to see it, and we do this by romancing our routine. This romance can even help procrastination and help you to see beyond the task or a challenge you’re facing.
Ask yourself, “What is on the other side of this?” and “Why am I feeling so stuck?” and embrace these feelings to generate your motivation.
The real beauty lies in the joining of imperfection, the romance of the everyday, and the often overlooked gift of unrequited love.
Unrequited love embodies the imperfections of the human connection – it is messy, tender and often, tragically beautiful – revealing the vulnerability of putting our hearts out into the world. People often associate unrequited love with the outcome, yet it is in the feeling and excitement itself.
And like imperfection and everyday moments, unrequited love can transform into something else within, appreciation and the beauty of our own vulnerability and emotional depth.
The fact is we loved and experienced connection, even in a fleeting moment, that’s the beauty instead of perfection in a requited love story.
It’s OK to feel vulnerable, to feel flawed and have times where we feel we’re not quite getting there, that’s when we look inwards and remind ourselves, we are human, we are constantly learning and that actually, we are indeed beautiful and life can be messy, yet abundant with acceptance and indeed joy.
By embracing imperfection, romancing the everyday and finding beauty in unrequited love, we stop striving for perfection and see a beauty that exists in the imperfect and ordinary.
All moments hold beauty in their own way, and are often full of love.
Find the romance in the everyday little things, you know, the ones that are easily missed but are right there in front of you. A life more beautiful is waiting to be discovered in the everyday rituals, in the flaws that define us, even in the midst of unrequited love.
