I made a decision last week that I wasn't going to install our metal wire Christmas tree this year. While I enjoy its beauty, I realized that I had to prioritize my time and energy of the task with the reality of having one less thing TO DO! Learning to say no... it's such a practice.... and a gift!
I know that I'm not alone in the desire to do everything...and everything well... but I'm learning, growing, improving my knowledge of myself, and beginning to discern between what I "should" do and what I "have" to do. This year, the tree was a should... and it remains in storage.
I picked up a Brene' Brown book I have in my library this week. From
I Thought it Was Just Me (But it Isn't), a passage on perfectionism caught my eye...
"When we choose growth over perfection, we immediately increase our shame resilience. Improvement is a far more realistic goal than perfection. Merely letting go of unattainable goals makes us less susceptible to shame. When we believe 'we must be this' we ignore who or what we actually are, our capacity and our limitations. We start from the image of perfection, and of course, from perfection there is nowhere to go but down.
When we give ourselves permission to be imperfect, when we find self-worth despite our imperfections, when we build connection networks that affirm and value us as imperfect begins, we are much more capable of change."
Wishing you a beautiful and imperfect holiday weekend... creating realistic expectations and boundaries for yourself (and those around you)!
Namaste,
Kristi
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