Baby steps are perfect …

Especially if you’ve been thinking about your “imperfections” lately, please ask yourself this question: At what point did I lose my perfection? We think of a newborn baby as perfect. When the baby cries, we still think he’s perfect. He is. When he tries to crawl and can’t, we still think he’s perfect. We see his stumbling as part of what makes him perfect. We delight in his effort and encourage him to grow.

Yet, when we, as adults, stumble in an effort to take the next step or get the next lesson, we tend to point to a personal “imperfection” — or blame it on somebody else. Pointing to “imperfections” reinforces them. Eventually, we come to expect less of ourselves; maybe we even quit trying. And blaming somebody else is no more effective.vRather than kick yourself while you are down, encourage yourself. Give yourself points for effort. Don’t just do it to be kind. Do it to be fair!

Encourage yourself the way you would encourage your baby, because that might be the best example you have of your ability to love unconditionally. And that’s the only way to really love somebody, including yourself. You are doing the best you can do. With a little encouragement, you will be able to do better … and you will!

Give yourself as much credit for baby steps as you would give a child. And keep taking them one right after another. Perhaps when we have taken enough baby steps, we start to grow into giant steps. There is only one way to find out!