Everyone has an addiction. You might be thinking, "No I don't." You do though. It could be anything. From surfing to your phone to drugs. For me it is perfection. I mean first step is admitting you have a problem right? So there it is.
Growing up being the best meant everything. The pressure was there, to be everything, to be perfect. Eventually it became a mentality. Perfect. Everything perfect. If not you didn't do it right. Let me explain where this mentality even came from. Me, Andrea Megan Thomson, have always been a little OCD. When I was young I would line my brother's toy cars in a straight line. I would do this before playing. Then they would stay in that line while I played with them. Call it weird, but that's just how I am.
I grew up with a dad that would say my 4.0 GPA wasn't good enough, that I needed to do better. So what did I do? Work towards perfecting my GPA to be better, because nothing is good enough. I grew up with people that would say looks are important. That your appearance was important, that the way people perceived you was huge. Now I have swayed from finding appearance and way others perceive you important. I grew up with brothers that stressed perfection in sports and friends. They also told me that I needed to be the best in soccer and have a ton of friends. So only naturally did I try to perfect that too.
Now with that being said, yesterday I was helping Ann Taylor (the company I work for) set up a new store. It was going to be a long day and my ballet flats that I had to wear, were killing me. I was mainly there to help fold the clothes to perfection for the grand opening. Well, that went great, if you know my folding it is amazing. Every little thing lines up. But things can never be perfect enough for me so while I was sitting there folding a pile it hit me; I cannot be perfect. When a perfectionist realizes this it is truly a sad moment. While pondering about this mind wondered to it is okay to not be perfect. That perfection cannot be reached.
While I will still be trying to reach perfection, it was a nice reminder to not make things so hard on myself. I mean it is okay to have a bad hair day. That it is okay to get a B on an assignment. That life will go on no matter what.
Do you have any areas in your life that have to be perfect? How do you handle it when they aren't perfect?
I think it's fantastic that you realized that perfection can't be achieved. To constantly strive to be perfect is to be constantly disappointed. Striving to be great and the best you can be is your challenge.
ReplyDeleteAs far as your questions go, I definitely strive to be perfect in any relationships I have. Whether that's being a great friend, a great son, a great co-worker, or a great lover, I want to be my best for the people I care about. When things go sour and my illusion of perfection starts to waver, I always realize, like you said, that things will get better.
Keep up the good work, you've got a subscriber :)
Thank you for your comment! :)
DeleteExactly, I have definitely realized that now that it is only going to lead to disappointment since nothing can truly be perfect.
Striving to be perfect when it comes to relationships is sweet. I'm sure everyone is glad that you try so hard to be the best for them. Do you still strive to be the best for them even if your mad at them?
I don't get mad at people easily at all. I really try to shake off anything they do that may bother me and focus on the positives of things. And in the rare case I do get mad, I cool down. I step away from the conversation or activity and just relax. Losing your cool, especially with friends/family/lovers, can be devastating and I've seen that first hand.
Delete