If I was forced to choose one word to describe myself, it would be: “perfectionist”. (I can think of a few others to go along with it: “stubborn”, “crazy”, “stubborn”…) Every now and then, I do something pretty dumb, or I miss something important, and I’m reminded anew that (as a friend direct messaged me on Twitter today) “nobody is perfect and [I] need to accept that!”.
I think women in particular suffer from wanting to do everything, and to do it all perfectly. It’s like we have a desire to yell to the world: “Look at me go! I can juggle all of these balls in the air, all at once, and nothing ever falls! I am Wonder Woman!”.
Well, I’m no Wonder Woman. I’d like to be, but I’m not. And much as I want to get everything right, all of the time, occasionally I need to admit (out loud) that this is a completely unreal expectation to have of myself. I would never expect it of anyone else, yet I’m happy to put myself through the perfection wringer. Crazy! But I bet I’m not alone.
So here it is: my profound thought for the day. I’m not perfect, and that’s okay.
Also, I may have just eaten half a packet of treat size dairy milk chocolate bars for dinner.
Out.
Yay you! *hug*
[...] all this, the dishes still need to be washed and school notices need to be filled out, and I see Virtually a librarian has similar issues – though she’s Wonder Woman. (What I’d do to have an invisible [...]
It’s so funny. I was reading this thinking, gee I’m so glad I don’t have high standards. Then I thought about a couple of things that got me frustrated at work today, and they are all because I want to be doing stuff that I see as meaningful … which leads to having expectations of myself and others that are disappointing when not fulfilled.
So I’m going to try tomorrow and say “I’m not perfect – and my colleagues aren’t perfect – and that’s ok”. [Hmmm Perhaps if I repeat the bit about my colleagues 100 times before bed????]
Love it! And it’s true- so many of us have high expectations- about ourselves!
My kids had a sign in their kindy class “We are all different and that’s OK”
I love everything you said in this post.
Especially the bit about your chocolate dinner *LOL*