Are you perfect? Are you completely satisfied with your life? If you answered ‘yes,’ I already know two things: One, you don’t own one of those 15X magnifying mirrors; and two, you discovered the magic forest.

You know the forest — the one with the money tree, the tree of knowledge and the giving tree. Not only are you rich, smart and given everything you want, but you are also an environmentalist (those trees should be saved).

Well, forest people, this column is not for you. This column is for those of us who have bathrooms with bright lights and too many mirrors.

Would you like to be prettier, richer, smarter or more well-liked? Well of course you would; we all feel the need to constantly improve ourselves, but up until now it has seemed like an unattainable goal. No matter how thin we may get, how much money we earn, how many As we receive or how many people we manage to get to laugh at our jokes, we are not satisfied. This is because we do not appreciate what is happening right now; instead, we look into the future to achieve the confidence we desire.

We always think that after this paycheck, this diet, this shopping trip, this GPA or this workout routine, we will be happy. As we hear from so many adults, though, we are in the “best years of our lives.” It’s the truth. If we do not like ourselves now, we probably never will.

Luckily, it is easy to learn to start appreciating ourselves.

Start by taking the week off. Stop trying so hard. If working out every day is not giving you the results you want, an hour more will probably not help. The answer is not about losing one more pound; it has to do with recognizing how great you already are.

So instead of running an extra mile, eat dessert. Wear sweats instead of jeans. Bum around on the couch and watch endless hours of TV. Spend less money, and you’ll magically have more. And rather than tickling people with your wit, use your hands. You and everyone else will realize the fine line between funny and weird.

These ideas are not silly, but perfectly logical. If you change everything for the worse, it will only be better when you return to normal.

Others will notice your change in behavior, and your friends may ask if you are OK. Ease their worries by telling them that you have ceased to exist for the week, and also, would they mind barking instead of saying your name?

If the week goes according to plan, you will finish the challenge feeling thoroughly disgusted with yourself. With the week over, you will be more than happy to resume being you again, and the sound of your name will even have a ring to it — or, at the very least, not a growl.

Once you allow yourself to comb your hair again, wear form-fitting clothes and work out, you will feel better than you have ever felt. Really, though, you will actually feel the same as you did before. You’ll just realize how great a feeling that is, and how much you love being you.

Taking a break from trying to be perfect allows us to see our good qualities. After a week of not being you, you will not want to part with yourself ever again. Like so many lovers know, “distance makes the heart grow fonder.”