As we move into the New Year, there is a lot to keep in mind. One thing that will help us all is if we can remember that “Perfect is the Enemy of Good.”
As a recovering perfectionist, I have to keep remembering this. Whether I am cleaning my house, doing a project, or writing an article; there is a point where I must say, “It is good enough.” If I keep striving to make it perfect, I am only going to be spinning my wheels and wasting my time.
I began to learn this lesson when my oldest son was a toddler. I would clean the house, look around and think, “Everything looks so good, it is perfect.” That would last about five minutes. He would drag his toys into the living room, spread them out and begin to play. My perfect home was no more. At some point, he would be done with those toys; we would pick them up, put them away and he would drag out some more. All day long this would go on, and only at night, when all the toys were put away and he was in bed sleeping, did my house look “perfect” again.
I then had another child. The cycle continued and I continued to be stressed on the inside because my “house wasn’t perfect.” Looking back, I can see that I should have just relaxed and enjoyed the fact that my children were having fun. That was really a good thing; my children had a good childhood and enjoyed their home. If I would have learned the lesson then, I could have saved myself years of stress.
You see, when you are a perfectionist, you look at life through a lens that casts a negative light on everything you see. That critical eye can find something that is not quite right in every situation. It can rob you of your happiness because as you look around, you see the things that take away from the perfection in every situation.
The truth is, life is not perfect, nothing really is. The new car is only perfect until you drive it off the lot and a rock puts a ding in the paint. That new home is only perfect until you move into it and someone spills coffee on the rug. The new husband or wife is only perfect until you start living with them. Instead of seeing things through the lens of perfection, we need to see things through a lens that sees the good in every situation.
As we move into the New Year, I wish you one that is good – not perfect!
Thank you for your wish…. and for this great reminder. Bendiciones!
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Gracias!
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Indeed! Thank you for the kind wishes. May you have a blessed New Year!
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And a Blessed New Year to you too!
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Happy New Year to you and yours Valerie. And continued success with your recovery from perfectionism! 🙂
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Thank you! Blessings to you and yours also in the coming year!
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Needed this! Merry Christmas and happy new year! Thank you!
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Blessings to you and yours also!
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Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
A LOT OF HURT IS STIRRED UP THROUGH INNER PERFECTIONISM!
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Yes, there is and thank you so much for the reblog!
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YAY!
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Wouldn’t it be great if there was a 12 step program for recovering perfectionists? Maybe we should start one!
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Such a great reminder. I’m also a recovering perfectionist that is so grateful for God’s amazing grace! Blessings for the new year xx
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Blessings for the New Year to you too!
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Oh oh you’re asking a lot of me….lol But I know you’re right!
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🙂 🙂 🙂
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The critical eye of perfection robs you of the joy you could be having….
Great Post and good advice!
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Thanks so much for weighing in!
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Good evening I wish you a happy year every year and you are fine
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Happy New Year to you and yours also!
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Indeed, life is not perfect and we do need to learn when enough is enough.
Hope 2019 is all you wish for 🙂
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Same to you!
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Yep – so true! Especially when you’ve got kids (LOL; I can relate).
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Reblogged this on From The Darkness Into The Light.
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Thank you so much for the reblog! Bless you!
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You are welcome
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Great perspective!
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Thanks!
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I have had to learn to rein in my obsessive-perfectionist tendencies.
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Me too…although I don’t think I was obsessive about it!
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Great observations! I loved this post!
Sharing on Facebook.
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Thank you so much for the share and the follow! Blessings to you! ❤ ❤ ❤
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No problem!
God bless you, too! 😊
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