Are you gals ready for some vulnerability? Hi, I'm Holly, and I'm a recovering perfectionist. Some people seem to think that perfectionism is something to be proud of, a badge of honor they might say. They'll sigh dramatically, bat their eyes and say, "I guess I'm just a perfectionist!" It's nothing to be proud of; it's a sickness of the mind. Bet that got your attention!
For most of my life, I thought that feeling this way was normal. Always, the voices in my head have said that whatever I had done wasn't good enough. It's a lousy way to live. Losing weight sort of loses its kick when you realize that you'll never be "skinny enough." (At one point people told me that I looked sick, and I still felt fat!) I can understand anorexia, although my love of Krispy Kreme keeps me quite safe! :-) Housework is less than appealing when your house is never "clean." Performances could always have been "better," someone else is always more accomplished/organized/sweet/fill in your own blank.
So what's to be done? Is this the way that God intended for us to live? No! So I'm working on it... Trying to celebrate things even when they don't happen exactly as planned. Trying to enjoy what I do & appreciate my own, flawed, wonderful life!
Do the voices still keep after me? Sure! (Sometimes worse than others.) But you know what? I don't just agree with them anymore; I'm talking back now!
Notes: For more on this topic, I recommend Dr. Kevin Leman's book: When Your Best Isn't Good Enough
Fall Goodness
5 years ago
4 comments:
This is Leonard (at work, yes, I'm on my break.)
This is me running around the office waving my hands above my head, so blessed and happy for you. Any time you need a few Sanquine tips, please don't hesitate to ask...
:-) - Hope this post does not offend some of your sympathetic readers.
I figured you could really identify...not! ;-) Maybe we'll rub off on each other!
Well, my dear friend, I am afraid there are a lot of us that can identify with what you posted, I know that I can for sure!
I was reading something today online about "appreciating, enjoying and celebrating life",funny that you should mention this and the whole time I am reading I am thinking I really need to be doing something productive:). I am also a recovering perfectionist, maybe not recovering enough yet:).
Such good words! I struggle with perfectionism in some things, and while I can justify it ("I'm only trying to do this with excellence!"), it's usually not a good thing. :-( Oddly enough, God used FlyLady to teach me a lesson in letting go of perfectionism: it's better to do a little cleaning than none at all. So I try to relay that over to other things as well.
Thanks for the lesson.
And I love Krispy Kreme, too!
Blessings,
Lisa
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