When I post, I like to have a point that I want to make, explore something I learned from an experience, or muse about an observation. And over the years, I've been able to do that - sometimes. But the reality is that kind of post takes more effort and time than I often have or want to do. So then I think about doing a post with just an update on what I've been up to. While that kind of post is much easier to write, I wonder how much I want to reveal about my life or those around me - even if I am using pseudonyms. Or if anyone even cares what I did last weekend. That leaves me indecisive, and I then end up not posting anything. Have you caught on yet that I often overthink things? Or another way to say it is I am a perfectionist.
I was surprised when I figured out that I have perfectionist tendencies. I certainly didn't do everything perfectly, and many areas of my life were not perfect. However, the ah-ha moment for me was learning that perfectionism often results in an all-or-nothing scenario, and often, it's nothing. I pondered most decisions for a long time, not wanting to make the wrong one. I remember when I was a young professional and read an interview with the president of the company I was working for where he said making a decision, even if it is wrong, is better than no decision. If it's a wrong decision, you learn from it and move on. I was incensed when I first read that. What do you mean that a wrong decision is okay? After thinking about it for a while, I guess I saw his point, even if it didn't seem right. Since then, I've slowly learned to accept that fact and try to practice it.
The Frugal Girl said something the other day that I also had to learn. "Done is better than perfect." This blog, in particular, has helped me with that idea. I have had to accept that posting with typos was okay. Of course, I try to proofread, but I often miss things. I was really worried about that in the beginning, but I'm okay with mistakes here now (well, mostly).
Over many years, although I've been working on letting go of my perfectionism, it still doesn't come naturally. I have to make a conscious decision to change how I think if perfectionism or indecision is getting in the way of moving forward. I have had to learn to trust myself enough to know if I make a wrong decision; I am strong enough and smart enough to handle it.
But letting go of perfectionism doesn't mean I don't strive to do things well and make good decisions. It just means that I get to the action sooner. But with all things, including this one, I'm still a work in progress.
So what does all of this mean? I don't know. I sat down to write a post about how the baby shower went last week and ended up with musings on perfectionism. If I don't think about it too much, I'll tell you about the shower next time. :)
Until then…
