Freedom from Perfection

Well Happy Election Day to you! I hope you found time to rock the vote today. I know people who voted even though they are currently overseas, so no excuses! Terry and I are spending the evening making fun of watching the ridiculous election coverage and waiting for Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert to entertain us with their brilliant takes on the results.

Since I'm still sick and eager to find healthy inspiration, I browsed around some of my favorite blogs today. I saw these posts on Jessie's and Alex's blogs, and I thought their perspectives on gaining freedom from perfection were beautifully written and incredibly inspiring. So beautiful and inspiring, in fact, that I feel compelled to write my own post about the same topic.

You can read more about the campaign to gain freedom from perfection on Sloane's blog. It's such a cool idea!

If you've been reading along for awhile, you must have figured out a few things about me that I don't think I really knew until I started this blog:

• I love lists (okay, I already knew that).
• I have a lot of trouble relaxing.
• I have stress issues that have affected my health.
• If I'm not doing something productive, I feel guilty.

So my freedom from perfection today is admitting that I have totally overwhelmed myself this fall. Between starting my new job, studying for my test, blogging, and the million other things I like to pile onto my plate, I have managed to completely fill up my schedule, my mind, my attention with tons of little tasks. Even the "fun" events--you know, the important stuff, like seeing friends who keep me sane and having a real conversation with my husband--feel like activities I'm scheduling in and not truly enjoying.

I need to stop and slow down, much like my dad told me the other day. I need to acknowledge that checking a million items off my checklist won't make me perfect. And who the hell wants to be perfect?

I need more of this:

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I do see a light at the end of the tunnel, though. I'm focusing on the positive: my test will be over soon, and then I can get back to focusing on my real job. Speaking of which, I only have seven more school days until Thanksgiving break! And I'm trying my best to finish up any outstanding grading by that time so that I can just enjoy the time off. Wish me luck!

After all that, if you need a laugh, check out this link and tell me how true it is.

What can you do to gain freedom from perfection?