Excellence, Not Perfectionism

One thing that I have struggled with for years is the desire to be PERFECT.  A perfect child, a perfect student, a perfect actress, a perfect lover, a perfect human being. To get everything RIGHT.

Well, I'm working on changing that!  And I think shifting my paradigm to be striving for Excellence instead just might be the key.  Already a weight feels lifted, and honestly, it just feels better inside.  Because I do have high standards and I'm forever going to be raising the bar for myself and my goals...but Excellence is reachable -- versus Perfectionism which is this divine ideal that is, when you really think about it, absolutely unreachable (Can you even define it? Try! It's ridiculous, right?).   I need to be more kind and honest with myself, and set my eyes on something that I can be satisfied with and realistically attain.  Excellence is something that I can definitely specify for myself (and I'll share that with you another time)...

But for now, I'll leave you with some awesome quotes all about the concept of Perfectionism -- and why it's just plain silly:

“When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target.” - George Fisher

“Once you accept the fact that you're not perfect, then you develop some confidence.” - Rosalynn Carter

 “To escape criticism — do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.” - Elbert Hubbard

 “Strive for continuous improvement, instead of perfection.” – Kim Collins

“Why, when we know that there's no such thing as perfect, do most of us spend an incredible amount of time and energy trying to be everything to everyone? Is it that we really admire perfection? No - the truth is that we are actually drawn to people who are real and down-to-earth. We love authenticity and we know that life is messy and imperfect.” – Brene Brown

“Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.” - Harriet Braiker

 “Life is a moving, breathing thing.  We have to be willing to constantly evolve. Perfection is constant transformation.” – Nia Peeples

“The artist who aims at perfection in everything achieves it in nothing.” – Eugene Delacroix

Breathe easier...

--Kimberly