Keeping up with Bridget Jones

Bridget Jones

Bridget Jones perfected the art of imperfection.  We love watching her and characters like Carrie Bradshaw, Nina Proudman or Ted Mosby take chances, put themselves out there and fall down (often literally) because when they make mistakes it makes us feel better about our failures.  It reassures us that it’s okay to be flawed.  

Keeping up with the Joneses is an out dated concept, yet we still feel pressure to “appear” as though we are perfect and that everything is “fine”.  Our imperfections make us unique.  Our scars, our mistakes, our battles, our struggles and failures help us grow so why would we want to hide them?  When we don’t accept ourselves as flawed, it creates an insecurity which can only be covered up by projecting an unrealistic expectation of perfection onto others and this can cause problems in relationships.  Whether it’s a boss who constantly berates employees for making mistakes or friends and lovers blaming and picking at each other, it’s merely a reflection of how we feel about ourselves. 
When we love and accept ourselves as flawed we allow others to feel accepted "... just as [they] are.  Not fatter, not thinner.  Not with slightly bigger breasts or a slightly smaller nose... just as [they] are." ~ Bridget Jones' Diary.

Mistakes and failures are merely learning curves and opportunities for growth.  Bridget and her fellow imperfectionists show us how making mistakes can lead to happiness because they always succeed in the end.  But what if happiness isn't at the end of the film or T.V. series.  What if happiness is right now?  Not when we get that dream job, lose weight, finish a degree, earn more money, find a partner, have a baby or move house... but right now. 

If success is happiness and we can only achieve true happiness through mistakes and failures, then surely we should be welcoming and celebrating failure rather than trying to avoid it?  I know I’ve made a million mistakes and I’ll make a million more.  And I wouldn’t change a single one because they are part of what has gotten me here… And here is pretty great.

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