Perfect
per- = completely
+
-facere = to do
Here’s a dangerous word: perfect.
I learned a valuable lesson about trying to be perfect from my hair. When I was in high school, what was in (read: cool) was perfectly straight, hanging in the face, blonde hair. It probably goes without saying that I didn’t qualify on any front.
My hair was naturally curly, did whatever it wanted, and I was a redhead to boot. I slept on orange juice cans to straighten my hair. I sat for hours under the dryer. One spritz of moisture in the air would ruin my “perfect” hair! It fascinates me now that people actually get their hair treated so it will look like mine does when I get out of the shower.
The Latin roots of perfect mean to do completely. Well, I did my hair more than completely and now my definition of perfect has changed. Funny how that works.
I highly recommend that we give up the adjective PERfect and resolve only to use the verb perFECT. All of us are constantly perfecting ourselves, and as long as we are doing whatever we’re doing completely, we’re doing well. Being perfect isn’t always the most interesting goal.
Ask: How can I be about perfecting myself today?
Infinition:
I am aware of myself as a growing, perfecting being today. I give myself a break from having to be perfect—for keeps.
For more divine definitions, visit the God’s Dictionary blog. Find spiritual nourishment at Dr. Susan Corso’s website and blog, Seeds for Sanctuary. You may also follow her on Twitter @PeaceCorso! See you there!
About peacecorso
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Dr. Susan Corso is a spiritual author, speaker, and counselor. An omnifaith minister and the author of God’s Dictionary (Tarcher/Putnam 2002) and The Peace Diet, she has had a spiritual counseling practice for more than 25 years. She has been an intuitive since childhood.
Susan’s blogosphere writing may be found at Seeds for Sanctuary, Ode Magazine and The Huffington Post, and Beliefnet. Her website is SusanCorso.com
One of her favorite occupations is writing spiritual fiction. She is the author of The Healing Mysteries of Mex Stone under the pseudonym Shulamith Burton. The audiobook of the first in the series, Oklahoma! Hex, came out in September 2008.
Susan is the founder of Sanctuary and ten-year author/publisher of a free e-newsletter, Seeds. As a professor at the accredited College of Divine Metaphysics, she teaches and ordains ministers.
Susan has been published in magazines, online magazines and newsletters including Business Ethics, Beliefnet.com, Ode Magazine, Science of Mind, Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, New York House, Q-Spirit, Self, and Winning Ways. She is the author of several tape series. Susan also writes for the theatre: The God Show, I Would Never, Fight or Flight, and PeaceWomen.
For many years, Susan was an organizational consultant and motivational speaker guiding nuclear scientists as well as entrepreneurs into their life purposes. Some of her former clients include Westinghouse Hanford Company, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Gila River Casinos, and the American Nuclear Society, among many others.
Today she functions as Chief Spiritual Officer for corporations. She lives in one-sixth of a Victorian house outside of Boston, with her beloved spouse, director/actress/teacher Sheriden Thomas, and the spirit of her familiar cat, Charles of the Ritz.
Her mission in life is peace.
Hi!
Thanks for this interesting post. One of my favorite yoga sayings that I learned from my teacher is, "they call it yoga PRACTICE, not yoga PERFECT."
Bliss…
Joe – http://www.MyMidlifeManifesto.com
Nearly PERfect Post Susan,
Though I may respond incompletely. When the only constant is change, perfection is ephemeral by definition, like a sand castle before the tide.
Guitar Joe,
Music instructor of long ago often reminded us, perfect practice makes perfect. So I focused upon making pretty sounds.
Let us daily increase in: wisdom, love, gratitude, reverence, healing, peace, joy, happiness, laughter and prosperity.
Love and Blessings X 10,
Ed