There was a time when I believed I needed to fix myself before I could move forward.

Fix the flaws. Clean up the rough edges. Get everything just right. Then I would be ready.

But readiness never arrived. Perfection never showed up at the door. And for a while, neither did growth.

What finally changed everything was realizing that the parts of me I was trying to fix were the very parts shaping me into who I needed to become.

Embracing Instead of Fixing

The part of me I have learned to embrace instead of fix is the mess. The uncertainty. The moments where things feel unfinished and uncomfortable.

I used to think those moments were signs I was doing something wrong. Now I see them as proof I am in the process.

Growth is rarely clean. Learning is rarely quiet. Progress does not arrive polished. It shows up clumsy, inconsistent, and often unrecognizable at first.

Waiting until you feel ready is one of the fastest ways to stay exactly where you are.

Start anyway. Even when it feels messy. Even when your confidence wobbles. Even when the plan is incomplete. Jump in and trust that clarity comes from movement, not from standing still.

How Imperfection Fuels Success

Being imperfect has helped me succeed because it forced me to act.

Perfection tells you to wait. Imperfection reminds you it’s time.

I have learned that starting is the skill. Going for it is the muscle you build. Believing that things will work themselves out is not blind optimism. It is earned trust. Trust is built by showing up again and again, even when conditions are not ideal.

So many people never make the leap because they are waiting for certainty. But certainty is created through action, not before it.

Momentum belongs to the willing, not the flawless.

The Pressure to Look Perfect

Young bowlers today are surrounded by highlight reels.

Everything online looks smooth, effortless, dialed in. You see strikes, trophies, confidence, and success. You do not see the missed spares, the bad weeks, the doubt, the frustration, or the hours of work that no one posted.

The illusion is dangerous. It creates the belief that everyone else just woke up talented, composed, and ready.

That could not be further from the truth.

Every great performance you admire is built on a foundation of mistakes that never made it to the screen. Every polished moment was earned through countless unpolished ones.

Comparing your behind the scenes to someone else’s highlight reel will always steal your joy and distort your progress.

Turning Flaws Into Fuel

Here is the shift that changes everything.

If you can understand that your flaws are what lead you to the goal, you stop seeing them as obstacles. You start seeing them as instructors.

The missed spare teaches focus. The bad game teaches resilience. The inconsistency teaches awareness. The frustration teaches patience.

Your flaws are not detours. They are the path.

When you embrace them, study them, and learn from them, they stop holding you back. They start pulling you forward.

Power does not come from being perfect. It comes from staying present. From loving the process. From finding purpose and joy in showing up exactly as you are, and committing to becoming better step by step.

You do not need to be flawless to be strong.

You just need to be willing.

And that is more than enough.