boy am i ever stressed out this morning. sometimes i just am. my whole body gets into one big ball of anxiety. you know when your whole body feels really light? like something's about to happen? that's me right now, and i wanted to share with you something that i read this morning that was helpful. its from the artists way. its about perfectionism.
"perfectionism is a refusal to LET yourself move ahead. it is a loop--an obsessive, closed system that causes you to get stuck. instead of creating freely and allowing errors to reveal themselves later as insights, we often get mired in getting the details right."
my journey right now is largely focused on getting un-stuck... on letting myself live and make mistakes instead of waiting for the moment when everything is right and perfect.
the book has you list things you'd do if you didn't have to do them perfectly.
here's my list. if i didnt have to do it perfectly, i would like to try:
- dancing (one of my biggest fears. DONT WANT TO SCREW UP! I'D RATHER PHOTOGRAPH OTHER PEOPLE DOING IT!)
- publishing books of my photos
- swimming on a team. weird i know.
- going to yoga more than i do now.
- wearing loud clothes that are hot hot hot.
(ie: i am scared to wear boots because they're 'too loud'.)
so, yeah.
shannon
"perfectionism is a refusal to LET yourself move ahead. it is a loop--an obsessive, closed system that causes you to get stuck. instead of creating freely and allowing errors to reveal themselves later as insights, we often get mired in getting the details right."
my journey right now is largely focused on getting un-stuck... on letting myself live and make mistakes instead of waiting for the moment when everything is right and perfect.
the book has you list things you'd do if you didn't have to do them perfectly.
here's my list. if i didnt have to do it perfectly, i would like to try:
- dancing (one of my biggest fears. DONT WANT TO SCREW UP! I'D RATHER PHOTOGRAPH OTHER PEOPLE DOING IT!)
- publishing books of my photos
- swimming on a team. weird i know.
- going to yoga more than i do now.
- wearing loud clothes that are hot hot hot.
(ie: i am scared to wear boots because they're 'too loud'.)
so, yeah.
shannon
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Comments
I like how you imperfectly posted three of the same posts on perfection!
Your list is cute :)
(no dancing)!!!
(11.12.09 @ 12:37 PM)oh, Shannon... I know how you feel. I am a total perfectionist too and it has kept me from so much. I barely ever finish creative projects because I can't get them just right. I am also afraid of dancing because I don't want to look silly. I'm even married now and can only bring myself to slowdance with hubby at weddings on occasion. This last year of being sick has forced me to get over my perfectionism in how I look. I can finally go without make-up, wear sweats out, etc. if I have to. It's very freeing. I think our imperfections are what makes us perfect as God's creations. Imperfections make life interesting. I hope you and I can learn to embrace them. : )
(11.12.09 @ 12:58 PM)DITTO. i perfectionistically deleted those other two, fyi to the world.
(11.12.09 @ 01:00 PM)DITTO. i perfectionistically deleted those other two, fyi to the world.
(11.12.09 @ 01:02 PM)you imperfectionistically commented twice :):):)
(11.12.09 @ 01:05 PM)p.s. - i like that!
(11.12.09 @ 01:08 PM)Wow! I feel like that too sometimes. That is a great passage. Something that I will definitely keep in my mind.
You are way cool and full of life. I think you should get yourself a pair of super loud cowboy boots!
(11.12.09 @ 02:12 PM)I love how both you and your 'brownie' brother Carson posted blogs featuring COFFEE on the same day.
(11.12.09 @ 11:57 PM)"I do what I don't want to do, and what I want to do I can't"
~Paul the Apostle (paraphrased of course)
That is exactly how I've felt this week. I hope to do much more than I do right now if only because I am learning to let go of fear.
(11.13.09 @ 07:05 AM)"I do what I don't want to do, and what I want to do I can't"
~Paul the Apostle (paraphrased of course)
That is exactly how I've felt this week. I hope to do much more than I do right now if only because I am learning to let go of fear.
(11.13.09 @ 07:08 AM)"I do what I don't want to do, and what I want to do I can't"
~Paul the Apostle (paraphrased of course)
That is exactly how I've felt this week. I hope to do much more than I do right now if only because I am learning to let go of fear.
(11.13.09 @ 07:10 AM)"I do what I don't want to do, and what I want to do I can't"
~Paul the Apostle (paraphrased of course)
That is exactly how I've felt this week. I hope to do much more than I do right now if only because I am learning to let go of fear.
(11.13.09 @ 07:19 AM)Hi Shannon, when I was first single in 1975 it was a time when I could have lived in fear of doing things, but a single gal told a group of us to "have adventures". When I felt uptight I would choose whether to live in fear or look at the situation as a great adventure. My kids thought i was flaky sometimes when I moved or did different things, but I did have adventures and still do!!! Don't get up tight - make the time into an adventure.
(11.13.09 @ 09:06 PM)Your Grandma totally knows what she is talking about. If you let perfectionism get in the way of having adventures and taking risks… well, really, it boils down to fear of failure. And never trying things will result in potentially missing an opportunity to fall in love with a new activity or perspective. I am hereby volunteering to take you out to a beginner's dance lesson. Conquering your biggest fear is hyper-empowering.
(11.14.09 @ 05:22 PM)here's my thoughts about swimming on a team:
it's like...putting yourself through hell every day,
but each of those days being intensely satisfying.
being able to say, "why yes, i did just swim 200 laps" is the b-e-s-t.
plus you get rockin' arm muscles.
love
(11.14.09 @ 10:55 PM)heath.
p.s. you could totally rock boots, and you know it.
This was so nice to read right now.
(11.21.09 @ 11:10 PM)Shannon! I have been a lurker for a really long time now...which sounds creepy, but it's not. Since I've moved to San Francisco, I've wanted something that can be a creative outlet, and the natural choice for me is writing! So I've looked at The Artist's Way a bit, and with the encouragement of yoru blog and another friend, I've been writing in a journal every day and it's amazing.
So I just want to say thanks!
(11.23.09 @ 05:00 PM)