As I opened a new tub of butter this morning I discovered a quote on the inside which read "Wonky is good, never trust a symmetrical loaf". What a great start to the day ;-)
It got me thinking about all the time, energy and effort people often invest in striving to Be Perfect or achieve perfection. 'According to who?', I ask. And 'For what purpose?' The reality is that people often create their own rules about what 'perfection' means. They experience stress and pressure while attempting to reach 'it'. And give themselves a hard time for 'not being good enough' when they make a mistake or don't quite hit the mark!
Coincidentally, I also heard on the radio last night a psychotherapist talking about the relationship between stress and perfectionism. She described how perfectionists will often experience stress and frequently see 'failure' because they strive and strive for perfection and then realise it wasn't actually possible.
So is there ever such a thing as 'perfection'? And is it necessary anyway?
Take carrots for instance. Which type of carrots would be better for us nutritionally, Naturally Organic or Genetically Modified? I think we'd probably all agree that organic carrots in their natural state, whilst not necessarily perfect in shape, colour or size, would be the better choice even though the GM carrots might look more 'perfect' ;-)
Whilst a healthy desire to deliver high quality, do a great job or keep in shape is certainly a good thing, striving for perfection through fear of not being good enough as a person is probably not very helpful. So in life, why not give yourself a break, accept that you are already enough and celebrate a little 'wonky-ness' ;-)
And remember "Aim for success, not perfection.........fear always lurks behind perfectionism" David Burns
Thanks for reading
Til next time
Have fun!
Denise x
It got me thinking about all the time, energy and effort people often invest in striving to Be Perfect or achieve perfection. 'According to who?', I ask. And 'For what purpose?' The reality is that people often create their own rules about what 'perfection' means. They experience stress and pressure while attempting to reach 'it'. And give themselves a hard time for 'not being good enough' when they make a mistake or don't quite hit the mark!
Coincidentally, I also heard on the radio last night a psychotherapist talking about the relationship between stress and perfectionism. She described how perfectionists will often experience stress and frequently see 'failure' because they strive and strive for perfection and then realise it wasn't actually possible.
So is there ever such a thing as 'perfection'? And is it necessary anyway?
Take carrots for instance. Which type of carrots would be better for us nutritionally, Naturally Organic or Genetically Modified? I think we'd probably all agree that organic carrots in their natural state, whilst not necessarily perfect in shape, colour or size, would be the better choice even though the GM carrots might look more 'perfect' ;-)
Whilst a healthy desire to deliver high quality, do a great job or keep in shape is certainly a good thing, striving for perfection through fear of not being good enough as a person is probably not very helpful. So in life, why not give yourself a break, accept that you are already enough and celebrate a little 'wonky-ness' ;-)
And remember "Aim for success, not perfection.........fear always lurks behind perfectionism" David Burns
Thanks for reading
Til next time
Have fun!
Denise x
No comments:
Post a Comment