When Perfect Lets Go, Good Can Begin

There’s a strange relief in realizing how much energy we’ve been spending trying to be something no one actually expects us to be.

Perfect.

Perfect responses.

Perfect timing.

Perfect choices.

Perfect versions of ourselves that never quite show up when we need them most.

John Steinbeck offers a gentler invitation:

“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”

At first glance, it sounds almost too simple. But the more you sit with it, the more it begins to untangle something deep.

Perfection demands performance. Goodness asks for presence.

Perfection keeps score. Goodness pays attention.

Perfection is loud and anxious and exhausting. Goodness is quieter. Steadier. More human.

So much of our frustration comes from confusing the two. We hold ourselves to impossible standards, then feel shame when we can’t meet them. We delay starting until conditions are ideal. We withhold kindness from ourselves until we’ve “earned” it.

But goodness was never meant to be earned.

Goodness shows up when you try again after snapping at someone you love. It shows up when you apologize without defending yourself. It shows up when you do the next right thing, even if it’s small, even if no one notices.

Goodness doesn’t require flawlessness. It requires honesty.

This is especially freeing in leadership, parenting, teaching, and relationships. People don’t need you to be perfect. They need you to be real. They need consistency, humility, and the courage to course-correct when you miss the mark.

When you stop chasing perfection, something opens up.

You listen more. You rush less. You forgive faster ... yourself included.

And maybe that’s the point Steinbeck was getting at.

The moment you release the pressure to be perfect is the moment you finally have room to be good.

Not impressive-good. Not Instagram-good. Just present, imperfect, human good.

And most days, that’s more than enough.