Girl, Get Up: Either Show Up Imperfectly, Or Not At All

Imperfection lends itself to relatability, so let’s nix the self-judgment.

Get up, get dressed, and do the damn thing!

As of late, I’ve been an Instagram Reel ‘one-take wonder’:

Just one take, and it’s good enough.

Following my 20-month hiatus from social media, I promised myself that I would be OK to show up as a work-in-progress. That meant less time spent scrutinizing every detail, and re-reviewing content. That meant a commitment to the daily affirmation that ‘done’ is better than ‘perfect’. That meant holding less space for self-critique.

That meant showing up imperfectly, or not at all.

*

Daily, I decide to “just start” my workouts. However imperfectly. Just. Start. Self-improvement requires movement, and I know that once I’m warmed up, I feel a heightened inclination to continue. My enthusiasm feels effortless and blithe once I’m in process. I carry this same mindset over to just about every other facet of my life, including my social media and content creation. I considered that if I wanted to be consistent with my self-care, I would have to accept that it won’t always be aesthetic and I won’t always want to do the things that are good for me.

Self-care currency is threefold: it’s comprised of money, time, and thought. The investment will bear much fruit: my current regimen has positively increased confidence in my physical appearance. Not just my body, but also my skin, energy levels, and my overall confidence.

You might never feel ‘fully ready’ to start showing up for yourself, or in your self-care regimen, or for your social media community, and that’s OK. I just want to encourage you to accept that on the days when you feel less than (or anything but) ‘perfect’, make the commitment to showing up imperfectly. I promise you that you will be all the better for it, and that your efforts will not be wasted.