By Sunny Simon
A friend of mine sent me a self-help book she claimed spoke to her on multiple levels. I read chapter after chapter in which the author, writer, speaker, wife and mother of two worked on remaking her overly hectic life after experiencing mega burn-out. Although I had empathy for the author, as I took in her story I could not relate to her situation. You see I am hawk-like about guarding my calendar from over-scheduling. I pride myself on this because it’s one of the few things I did not have to learn the hard way.
About three-quarters of the way through the book, I found a chapter aimed directly at me. Yes, this one had my name on it. My author-guide talked about her incessant desire for perfection as she planned for a holiday that she knew looked so much better in her mind’s eye than how the whole even would actually shake down. After much soul searching, the writer came to the conclusion she must choose, “present over perfect.”
Sentences like, “perfect has become as near a dirty word to me as hustle, prove, earn, complete and push,” made sense. It all came to a crashing crescendo when she wrote, “Perfect and the hunt for it will ruin our lives.” Okay, I give up. I’m guilty of trying to create the perfect this, or the perfect that, and continually disappointing myself. Reading on I got some advice on how to turn my quest for perfection on it’s ear.
When the author professed, “It’s all about learning to show up and let ourselves be seen as we really are,” I thought wait a minute. If that means leaving the house without make-up, forget it. Not going to happen, at least not yet anyway.
Knowing I had to start somewhere, I chose entertaining. We invited another couple over for Saturday night dinner and drinks. Aha! Instead of scouring recipe books to design the perfect menu, I opted for a rustic Italian dish created in the slow cooker. I really blew the lights out on dessert. Finding a cool creation on Pinterest involving store bought ice cream sandwiches and whipped cream, I put it together in under seven minutes.
When dessert was served I must admit, it looked like something a 3rd grader cooked up. But guess what? I didn’t care. It provided my guests with fits of laughter and some really good bites.
So cheers to “present over perfect.” I’m getting there. If you can relate to any of this, let me know and I’ll send you the recipe. Sunny Simon is the owner of Raise the Bar High Life and Career Coaching. More about Sunny at www.raisethebarhigh.com
