It doesn't have to be perfect by Kelly

It doesn't have to be perfect by Kelly - May 2014 Scholarship Essay

As I went on to pursue my graduate degree in nursing I received a piece of advice that changed everything about the way I studied and viewed my education. "It doesn't have to be perfect, Kelly." I knew I couldn't actually attain perfection, but I always sought perfection from myself and in everything I did. Naturally, this set me up for failure and self-hatred, not to a degree of paralyzation, but it did make me afraid to try things I hadn't done before or things I am not naturally good at.

I have spent a number of years working with the developmentally disabled, and perfect is not something we really even talk about. But doing your best, and expanding your comfort zone, and messy but enthusiastic first tries, these are the things we applaud. That piece of advice, along with what I learned from these wonderful individuals, will always be an inspiration to me throughout my nursing career.

It doesn't have to be perfect. Think about it, if you know it doesn't have to be perfect, but rather your best shot, suddenly, you don't have to deal with frustration, embarrassment, or painful hesitation before trying anything new. I spent way too much time during my undergraduate degree not wanting to put myself out there, afraid of failing. I wasn't afraid of failing hopelessly, I knew that wouldn't happen, but of not getting it right and perfect on the first try. I missed a lot of opportunities because of this attitude.

I know that now as a nurse, equipped with this advice I will be unafraid and unhindered by unachievable expectations. We all start out as novices at some point. There's no shame in that. We don't have to be perfect; we just have to be ourselves, with all of our glorious strengths and weaknesses.