All About Women | Women

I was always one of those perfectionists. And because I could never be as perfect as I thought I needed to be, I would freeze in my own fear and never complete anything. It wasn’t until my lovely coach Kristin said to me: COMPLETION matters more than perfection.

This was so liberating to me. I now write it in my daily planner every single day. It has become one of my mantras. This meant that I didn’t have to aim for perfection, that I just needed to aim and wherever it hit, it was better than not aiming at all.

One of our lovely BWP members, Renee, wisely shared this quote with the group:

One of the things that came up at our May Becoming a Woman of Purpose meetup was the thief of perfectionism. Why do I call it a thief? Well, simply because it steals from you. It steals your joy, your passion, your creativity, your inner child, and the list can go on. All these elements lead to living life on purpose.

Defining the term perfectionism, I quote our trusty Wikipedia: The persistence of will in obtaining the optimal present and future quality of spiritual, mental, physical, and material being.

Whew! What a mouthful! Okay, that means I am obsessed with producing the best outcome in all I do. And sometimes even the best is not good enough! Perfectionism is about being in control and not trusting in the process or the Divine.

My response to perfectionism is to take the action and let go of the result. This is not going to happen overnight -- just as cultivating the habit of perfectionism did not happen overnight. It takes time and re-conditioning. But you are a woman of purpose, so you are worth the time and effort. You devote your time and energy to other things, why not devote some of that to yourself, especially if you want back your joy, your peace, your passion, and your creativity.

Don't try to break an existing habit; but replace it with a new healthy habit. Remember, it's about which wolf you are willing to keep feeding. When you stop feeding a habit, like anything, it will die. So stop feeding the habit of perfectionism and watch it starve to death!

Until next time, here's to healthy wolves,
Coach Carolyn