Tuesday, November 22, 2011

In Persuit of.....Perfection????

OK, another long break from blogging. I'm back. Just gonna say right now that this is going to happen.  Of course, I have amazing intentions of blogging every day or at least several times a week, but it just isn't reality. I have a job. And a family. And ADD, aaaaand that really gets in the way. Anyways, that brings me to today's topic: perfection. Webster defines "perfect" as: entirely without ANY flaws, defects or shortcomings. Well, now...that surely doesn't describe me or anyone I know....but I certainly am guilty of putting immense pressure on myself to be "perfect."
I'm not sure when all of this started, but it has been only in the past few years. Since I have gotten super involved in fitness, being a trainer, and now a nutritionist, i have really put crazy pressure on myself to eat perfectly, to have an amazing workout every day, and to live the "perfect" active lifestyle.Not to mention being the perfect mom and wife.
All this pressure on myself has made me a little crazy! I see my clients putting pressure on themselves, too. It happens a lot with food....if we haven't had a "perfect" day of eating, well, screw it. We might as well just give up and start again tomorrow.
This is CRAZY!!! This all or nothing mentality that I am guilty of, and that I encounter all the time with my clients. We need to give ourselves GRACE. There are so many external pressures out there demanding our time and efforts, it just does us such a disservice to place severe pressure on OURSELVES, too. I have a lot of grace with my clients. I understand that life happens, life gets crazy, it destroys our best intentions  and thwarts our best efforts.I understand that they are human, and life is not always kind. I encourage them to pick up where they are right now~not where they think they "should" be~and keep going.
If we get up and keep trying, CONSISTENCE can take the place of that perfection mentality. It can also be much more rewarding. Perfection is not attainable, and putting pressure on ourselves to be perfect can only make us miserable and it makes us feel like a failure. In stark contrast, being consistent builds upon itself. The act of doing something well (i.e. a healthy habit) over and over again builds our confidence and builds momentum so we are able to continue being consistent and then we will reap the amazing benefits from establishing healthy habits.
                Small improvements, over time, lead to stellar results.
Start one healthy habit today, and do it again tomorrow, and again the next day, until it becomes a part of who you are and what you do, then start something else. Small improvements, over time, lead to stellar results. Perfection not needed. Have a great day!

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