How often do you psyche yourself up only to let yourself down?
You take time to write an elaborate to do list and when all 30 items aren’t checked off by noon, you feel like a failure.
You have not failed. There is a voice in your head that tells you that something has to be done a certain way. Anything short of that way is not good enough. So then you beat yourself up, even though you did your best.
This is the life of a perfectionist. Sense of self esteem comes from fulfilling unrealistic expectations you set for yourself. Are you setting up these expectations or are you seeking approval from someone in your life: past or present.
For example, I had a high school biology teacher that asked me what I would like to do after going to college. I told her that I was interested in medicine. I will never forget her frowning face and glasses sitting on her nose. She leaned over her desk looked directly in my eyes and said “You will never make it doing anything in medicine!”
This was a defining moment in my life. My soul still feels how broken my spirit felt that day. After graduating from high school, I set my sights on proving her wrong.
Here is the problem: Proving her wrong was setting me up for failure.
What would ever be good enough? When I started college and majored in pharmacy, I was terrified whenever I had to take a science class. I told myself, “If I don’t do well then my high school teacher was right about me.”
I was letting my self esteem get dictated by the approval of someone else.
Can you relate to this story? What is the area that you struggle with the most when it comes to perfectionism?
Here is the Secret Cure:
You are good enough because God created you in His Image. Take a deep breath close your eyes and consider that you are the likeness of God. Your breath came from his Spirit. Wow!
In the Creation story, God praised his creation at the end of the first day. He said, “It is good.” He did not say, “Well At least I should have made the stars and sun too. That was stupid!”
If God praised each step he made, can’t you do the same?
Today, relax in knowing that God approves of you. Your best is enough.
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