How to Overcome Perfectionism

In today's Instagram Facebook world where we're always showing how awesome and amazing things are and how great we are it can be really tough not expect everything to be perfect. This is a big fix that I'm working on in my own life. I know that I expect certain things like a trip or a project I'm working on to come off perfectly. I especially get bogged down in perfectionism when it comes to blogging that's for sure! Since I've been attempting to really work on this. It's tough. I am still working and progressing but for now I've got five ways to help us reformed perfectionists overcome our perfectionism.

Stop Comparing

Comparing yourself, whether it's your appearance, your work, your blog or just your life in general to someone else is the worst thing. It will never end up good for you. You will only feel less than. We are not made to be less than anyone. I read somewhere that there is like a 1 in a trillion chance that you are exactly the way you are. Even if it's only half true that's pretty amazing. You are meant to be the way you are.

We are all unique in our own ways. What makes you you is completely different than any other person out there. A couple years ago my Pampered Chef group started doing personal best sheets. This is something that we can use to track our own progress from year to year. We aren't competing against each other it's us competing or comparing against ourselves. You should be the only person who you compare yourself to. Come from your own experiences, passions and beliefs you won't go wrong! You will see just how far you've come being less than perfect but yet still awesome.


Progress not perfection

If you take and apply anything to your life I hope it's this! I know that I can get bogged down in the idea that I want something to be absolutely perfect and not make any progress on it. One very tangible example is my Chicago and museum related posts. Since I consider myself to be well versed if not an expert in those areas I want those posts to be amazing. I think about all the awesome things I'm going to write about and take photos of to share with you all here. Then I get so overwhelmed with making them perfect that I don't end up doing any of the writing or photos I set out to do.

After a number of really good and bring me back down to earth conversations with Stephanie I have really been trying to abide by progress not perfection. We should all be focusing more on how were getting somewhere instead of that end place. If you focus on the fact that you're working on writing about those topics you love instead of creating the absolute perfect blog post it will be a much better post. If that's a little too much of a in your head example take loosing weight. If just focus on the fact that I want to loose the pounds instead of how I'm going to get there it will never fully work.


Be positive

Perfectionism tends to veer into the negative more than the positive. Since we're trying to be perfect all we usually see is our flaws. Don't go down the negative road. If you keep a positive attitude about what you're doing then your much more likely to see how awesome it is no matter how imperfect.

Keep the main thing the main thing

This is the version of the Stephen Covey quote that my Dad used to say to me all. the. time. When I was younger I didn't really understand that quote as much as I do now. To me there are two ways to take it. One of them being that it's easy to get bogged down in the details of something and you loose sight of your bigger picture. If you keep the main thing the main thing it's so much easier to not only get things done but be happy with what you've accomplished. Like my Chicago posts. I get so crippled and bogged down by the fact that I want them to be absolutely perfect before I post that I forget how much I enjoy when people comment about learning something new or how they're totally going to visit something I suggested on their next trip. That is the main thing! 

Just Do It!

There is never a perfect moment. For anything. You keep thinking oh some day I'll have more time or I'll be more well prepared and I'll do that thing I've been wanting to do then. Nope don't wait. Just do it! If you wait someday might never come and a year from now you'll be in the same place. If you start now a year from now you could be in an amazing place. You just need to take that leap and go for it.

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