Sooooo....today I did a thing....
Today this mama got herself a fresh cut AND color for the first time in a LONG time!
Why does that matter? Well...let me tell ya...
As of late I've just felt OLD.
When I look in the mirror I see wrinkles.
When I fix my hair I spot a growing number of greys.
When I try to take on the same work load I grew accustomed to in my younger years I simply CAN'T.
And, when I eat junk, I can feel and SEE the effects hanging around longer and longer with each passing year.
All of these daily "blah" moments of internal struggle began to add up and I noticed I was starting to fade into a dangerous mindset. A mindset that says "I'm just getting old. There's nothing I can do about it. I might as well lean into it and fully embrace it."
To some that may sound like a healthy mindset! It kind of sounds like "Just love who you are, where you're at!", which is a GREAT thing! However, this "embrace it" mindset for a habitual perfectionist like myself eventually causes us to stop caring at all and just start thinking "what's the point!"
If I'm going to go grey anyway, why highlight my hair? What's the point?
If my skin is going to get wrickly why even mess with fancy face creams? What's the point?
If I can't do ALL the things I want to do for ALL the people I want to help am I really even making a difference? What's the point?
If I can't get those abs I've been telling myaelf I was going to have by age 40 without giving up my giant bowls of buttery popcorn why even waist my time fixing all of those healthy meals and snacks? What's the point?
Well. Let me tell you what the point is!
Because doing something as simple as getting a cute new cut and color just makes me FEEL better!
Because using that fancy face cream helps keep my skin hydrated and healthy!
Because even though I can't do EVERYTHING for EVERYONE I can still do SOMETHING for SOMEONE. And that "something" ALWAYS matters!
Because even though I am likely never going to have washboard abs because of my deep love of enjoying a big old bowl of buttery popcorn on movie nights with the family I am still healthier than I have ever been and continue to contend for that health on the regular!
So to all of my fellow perfectionists out there struggling to face up to your imperfections let me just help you remember that YOU ARE NOT PERFECT! You never have been. You never will be. And that is OK! The goal has to continue to be PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION.
And as you journey along that journey of progress it's more than ok for you to do a few little things for you all along the way just because it makes you feel good and you WANT to!
So friend schedule that hair appointment and highlight the heck out of those grey hairs! Order that fancy face cream that will at least hydrate your skin and help deminish those wrinkles you hate seeing. Take time to celebrate every single task completed each day, even on the days you only completed one out of the many you attempted to tackle because progress was made! And you just keep on making those healthy meals because each time you choose protein and veggies over a carb binge sess you are taking yourself one step closer to that ultimate health goal of living and leading a long and healthy life!
Why does it matter?? Because even though you can't do EVERYTHING PERFECTLY you can definitely do many AMAZING things making progress CONSISTENTLY!
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”
ALBERT EINSTEIN