Progress is the New Perfection

I had always been a perfectionist. I used to play the piano and when I would hit a wrong note, I used to start the whole piece over again! Perfectionism invaded every facet of my life especially my diet-binge cycle. I could be having a great diet day and then make a mistake. I would tell myself “Well, gee, I’ve blown my perfect day, I might as well throw caution to the wind and enjoy overeating the rest of the day. I’ll start my diet again fresh tomorrow morning”. But then, the same thing happened again the very next day. This went on for months and years. Eventually, I learned that as long as we continually make small and sustainable changes, we’ll gradually get better and better. It’s impossible to reach perfection and continually aiming for it, leads us to always feel disappointed in ourselves, and makes us miserable. We don’t need to be perfect. We can aim for progress not perfection, doing our best is good enough. What are your examples of being a perfectionist? Please share in the comments area!