It is that time of the year again. It is the time we make resolutions so strict we cannot possibly keep them. It is the time of the year we decide to become the perfect person—to look amazing, to feel amazing, to become saint-like, to get the perfect grades, to double earnings. We promise ourselves that we will settle for nothing less.

By the end of January, however, most of us will be struggling under the weight of these overblown ambitions. We will not be able to keep it up and, eventually, will call it quits.

Perfectionism leads to burnouts like this all the time. And at other times, science tells us, it leads to procrastination. We keep putting off doing something because we do not feel ready for it. We rationalise about starting on our goals that one perfect day—all the while, knowing deep down that such a day does not exist. Yet, we justify to ourselves: ‘If I cannot do it perfectly, I will not do it at all.’

This mentality keeps us from doing meaningful work. A lot of passionate people are held back from taking action—for example, when it comes to pressing issues such as climate change, animal rights, human rights, etc—because they feel that their lifestyle is not pure enough for them to be a person who can advocate for positive change without being a hypocrite.

But this quest for perfection is self-defeating. And, ultimately, not at all possible.

Recently, I have been watching The Good Place, a comedy series set in the afterlife, that ruminates over the moral implications of human actions. In the series, the main protagonists of the show—a ragtag group of imperfect humans (and their demon escort)—discover that no one had gotten into heaven (or The Good Place as the show calls it) for over 500 years because the growing complexity of the world meant that even the most well-intentioned actions had many unanticipated negative consequences.

Take the gesture of buying roses for your grandmother, the show gives an example. In the 16th century, doing so would probably leave a net positive impact in the world. In the 21st century, however, this gesture of love would actually yield negative points as it would support so many problematic market practices: exploitation of migrant workers who pick the roses, degradation of the environment with pesticides used to grow the roses, and so on.

Obviously, this example is overly simplistic and may not completely resonate with Nepalis. Nevertheless, the basic premise is clear: The world is complex and our social and economic systems are complex. This means that there is no perfect solution to any problem. Sometimes there are many avenues for actions; at other times, not enough. Either way, even the best among us are hard-pressed to find that one shiny solution to the problems we choose to champion. Nevertheless, we still do the best we can.

For example, some of the most dedicated human rights activists in Nepal may still wear clothes produced in Chinese or Indian sweatshops. Ardent animal rights campaigners are compelled to use medicines tested on lab animals. And environmentalists (like myself), who aim to reduce the human footprint on Earth, still use up energy in different forms and choose to have kids.

My reason to bring up these contradictions is not to belittle the work done by some of the most inspiring people in the world. But it is to increase the reach of these environmental and social movements to more passionate people who may feel like they are not perfect enough to become changemakers.

Perfection is not only impossible, it is unnecessary. Despite what cynics might say, to question the status quo, you do not need to have a lifestyle of a saint that is far removed from society. You can advocate for change even as you contemplate how you are part of the same human community that breeds the problem. Questioning the status quo is what makes us humans. If we did not continuously question about a better way to exist as a society, we would probably still be living as cavemen. So we must continue to question and advocate for change even as we understand that we are not perfect and the solutions we are seeking may not perfect.

The mentality that forgives small imperfections in ourselves and others does not only make us kinder and happier human beings but it also adds to the bottom line. As Anne-Marie Bonneau, a zero-waste chef, once said, ‘We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.’

The math behind this couldn’t be clearer. How many people in the world would be able to achieve a perfect zero-waste lifestyle? Probably a handful of people who choose to live the minimalist life of a monk. Now think about how much more of an impact there would be if every person on Earth did the best that they could. Waste would be reduced by a much more significant amount.

The same could be said about adopting veganism. Ideally, if all humans were vegans, the impact on animals and the environment would be greatly reduced. But how many people would have enough willpower to stick to this ideal throughout their lives. Again, not many. But what if we asked people to do the best that they could? To make a resolution to go without meat at least a couple of days a month. The number of people willing and able to stick to Meatless Mondays would be much greater than those willing to completely wean off meat. And the impact would be much greater too: Millions of imperfect vegetarians or vegans would save many more animal lives than a handful of perfect vegans ever could.

By obsessing over the ideals of any movement, we sometimes tend to forget what really matters: positive, incremental change. The only way to increase the capacity for such change is to ask that everybody does the best they can instead of dismissing or shaming people because they were unable to reach an impossibly high standard. We all know cynics, as well as activists, who are guilty of doing this.

So, for the people who want to start something meaningful this year: Forget about perfection. Forget what haters might say. This year, whatever you feel passionate about, start small. Your resolutions do not need to be perfect. Their execution does not need to be perfect. Do zero-waste imperfectly. Do vegetarianism or veganism imperfectly. Do social work imperfectly. Your actions will still have a much bigger impact than doing nothing at all, despite what cynics would have you believe. Just do the best that you can.

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