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Recommended Reading
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The
Cedarfire Newsletter Volume 10, Issue 15
"Break the Self-Sabotaging Habit of Perfectionism" I remember watching a television program where a modern working mother tried to keep her house as clean as her mother had. She spent her weekends nagging her husband and kids to wash and fold the laundry, dust, etc., while she scrubbed the refrigerator, kitchen, and house from top to bottom. The weekends were stressful times, and her family life suffered. Everyone was miserable as she put a clean house ahead of her relationship with them. She was unsuccessfully trying to live up to an unrealistic ideal of a perfect house. Perfectionism is a waste of time and energy. When it becomes the focus of your life, it affects every part of it. Relationships suffer, as does your health. The stress and pressure you put on yourself can contribute to all sorts of health problems, such as high blood pressure, irritable bowel syndrome, arteriosclerosis and much more. Think of all the health problems associated with a Type-A personality and that is what you risk when you attempt to live up to idealistic expectations. That stress isn't coming from others, it's coming from within you. It's been said that stress isn't so much from the events in your life, as it is from your reactions to them. Perfectionism means you're trying to reach for an unattainable goal, and by doing so, you're destined to be disappointed, unhappy, and dissatisfied. Striving for perfection can distract you from what you truly want in life: abundance, harmony, health, relationships, and so on. By focusing so much on details you forget to look at the whole picture of what you want. Here are some steps to help you break this self-sabotaging habit: 1. Take one item of your life and don't do it. Leave dishes in the sink for a few hours. Wait for a day to fold the sheets and towels. This is to help you to get more comfortable with letting some things go and attending to more important things, like relationships. 2. Focus on what's right in your life, rather than what's wrong or needs to be fixed. Many people are trying to gain approval or control their environment by being perfect. This creates the internal tension that you feel as stress. Life is a process and imperfect, and by changing your focus, you'll relieve some of your pressure. 3. Finish a project, rather than trying to get it perfect. Many people avoid completion to avoid criticism. Get it done as quickly as you can. Do it with what you already have. Do it even if you don't feel prepared to finish it. Successful people tend to jump into a project without having all the information or knowing where it's going. 4. Leave some clutter on your desk. Contrary to popular belief, some mess actually improves creativity. And people who make more money are less likely to consider themselves to be "neat freaks." Your coworkers and friends aren't turning themselves into sleepless wonders to get things done. They let some things slide to have a higher quality of life. Which do you want more of in your life, stress and a constant search to make things perfect, or success, abundance, ease, health and harmony? The choice is up to you. Copyright © 2010 Linda Ann Stewart A nationally known speaker, life coach, hypnotherapist, and author, Linda-Ann Stewart empowers people to discover new possibilities and realize their full potential. For a copy of her free ebook, "Secrets To The Law Of Attraction," visit Cedarfire.com/SecretsToLOA.shtml. I wrote a short opinion piece about how the beliefs we hold about money actually prevent us from attracting more of it when we want to. Read "Money Is Power - Not."
"The Science Of Mind" The writing is simple and clear, but very deep. When I first read it thirty plus years ago, I had to get used to the way Dr. Holmes wrote. There was so much to think about in every paragraph, that I'd have to read a few sentences, put it down to digest them, then pick it up and read on. As a result, it permeated my mind, and changed the way I responded to life. To order this book, click on the image of the book on the left. For past issues of the newsletter, visit Free Archives Library. Subscribe/Unsubscribe Information
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