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"Perfect" is a 4 Letter Word

Lately, I've given some thought to the high demands placed on us as women these days.  In fact, it's often a subject of conversation with my close friends.  Specifically in motherhood, but in other areas of life as well...the absolute drive for a "perfect" life is not new, but is acutely more present through social media and constant personal comparison thrown in our faces.  There are such high expectations to be a thin, philanthropic, multi-tasking, witty, have-it-all-together type of wonder woman.
Some call it motivation.  Others call it perfectionism.
I call it unrealistic.

Mandi of All My Happy Endings recently wrote a piece about her views on perfectionism.  I thought I'd share an excerpt from it that I find profound and help give a little perspective.
 
Perfect is a fallacy. There isn’t such a thing. And when we hold on to that idea of “perfect” we hold on to something that isn’t real. There is something in this culture that expects, sometimes demands, perfectionism.
We might even look at other bloggers and envy their eye for style, mothering tactics, sparkling floors and countertops, ease of conversation, or body type.
Personally, I tend to be a perfectionist-people-pleasing-martyr that appears on the surface as a confident-I-know-what-I’m-doing good mother. And really, I am all kinds of things at once, waffling and hovering and in flux and in-between. Today, I’m calmer, more at ease, for reasons I don’t understand. Yesterday, I was in panic, ornery and scared. 
 We somehow twist our Christian lives around it even though Jesus doesn’t expect perfection from us. Rather, He came to help us in our imperfection.
Let’s admit to our humanity, friend. Let’s chose to let the bad days and bad moods and exhaustion simply pass…because they do. And remind yourself of this each and every day. In it, you will revel in His daily grace.
I do not let who I was yesterday define me. In fact, today is possibly brighter because of letting go. Surrender is a beautiful thing.
-Mandi Roach 


There is certainly nothing wrong with striving for excellence, but let's cut ourselves a little slack here and there, shall we?  Doing so will surely allow more love, compassion, selflessness, and Dairy Queen Blizzards into our lives.

And most probably less worry wrinkles and more laugh lines.


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3 comments:

  1. I absolutely agree, Kristen. Women put so much pressure on themselves to fit "the mold". But the beautiful thing is, there is no mold!! In fact, my closest friends are all different...different from each other and different from me..and I love that!

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  2. I'm not a mom. But I feel this pressure even in hoping to find a husband. Great post! (You and Mandi)


    Patterned Love

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  3. Thank you for that I needed it today!I was feeling down and overwhelmed. My husband is great at helping but I just put way to much pressure on me on doing more and just need to let it go sometimes. I am not and will never be super mom but I will be the best MOM.

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