I’m a perfectionist, born and bred. I’ve always tried to do everything as perfectly as possible.
But things are different now. I work at least 30 hours a week. I have two active children, a puppy who likes lots of walks, and a husband. For “me” time, I exercise and volunteer for community committees for the Indianapolis Super Bowl and the Big Ten Basketball Tournament.
So I’ve given up on perfect, and I’m working on balance.
Balance means making sure my kids get three square meals a day (the old, perfectionist me would never have counted cereal with milk as dinner.) It means homework and “work” work are finished, the bills are paid, and everything else can wait.
And it means saying no sometimes—the perfectionist me had a hard time saying no. The balanced me knows I can’t be on every committee in town. It means I haven’t created a Facebook account or Twittered. I won’t win every race I run, and I can’t help with every school activity and church food drive. I’m not perfect, and I’m learning to be okay with that.
Still, I would appreciate any tips. When you’ve been a lifelong perfectionist, how do you turn it off? How do you find balance?
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