Looking for Perfection Can Steal Away Life's Glitter

Can we agree to stop holding ourselves (and others) to the idea of perfection? 

Pretty please?

My industry feels like the worst of the worst sometimes.  The "wellness" field is filled to the brim with self proclaimed gurus pushing their extreme personal agendas onto others.  Promoting restrictive diets with none of this or only that.  Encouraging quests for absolute peace and freedom from all negativity.  Encouraging an all or nothing attitude toward health, wealth, & happiness.

It's fine to be passionate.  It's good to share ideas and knowledge.  It's acceptable to be someone's cheerleader.

It is NOT okay to tell people what they must do.  It is foolish to believe shame is motivation.  And, it is disheartening to dismiss our smaller forward achievements.

Two of my favorite quotes are:

"Everything in moderation, including moderation" - Oscar Wilde*

and

"Any positive change" - Dan Bigg

These are words I absolutely live by.  Frankly, I feel we would all be happier and healthier if we all took these words to heart.  Would we be flawless?  No.  Would we experience more kindness, compassion, & self love?  For sure.

Let me share an example with you.

Coffee.  My joy, my happiness, the best part of my morning routine.  Over the years, a lot of people have tried to convince me I MUST stop drinking coffee.  "It's acidic", "It's medicine is too strong for every day consumption", "It's an addiction"... among other comments and opinions.

I'm not even going to argue.  Believe what you want about this holy roasted bean of the gods.  I don't care.  Here is my truth.

I stopped consuming coffee several times in my life.  It sucks!  I hate it!  I like coffee.  It makes me happy.  It's the only good thing about mornings.  Any health benefits I receive from not drinking coffee are surely countered by the pure misery of life without my happy bean juice.

Also, let's just be real with each other for a second.  Do you have any idea what substances I HAVE stopped ingesting?  Do you???  Leave me alone with my coffee!  Let's, instead, celebrate moderation.  I have one perfect latte each morning.  I drink water or herbal tea the rest of the day.  This is success.

I do not believe we have to abstain from every freaking thing that isn't good for us.  Actually, I think that viewpoint is absurd.  Our ideas of "good for us" are largely shaped by cultural and societal norms.   

"Good"  has a lot less to do with wellness than we might think.  It is also deeply personal.  For example: Is it better to live the happiest life?  Or the longest life?  Your answer is likely different than mine, yet they are both correct.

The point I am trying to make is this - Most of us are winning the game of life and we don't even know it because we are too focused upon perfection.

Personally, I think we should be celebrating all our positive changes, live in a space of moderation and, every once in awhile, sprinkle in a few absurdly crazy moments like life's glitter.

Are you ready to re-imagine the successes in your life?  Do you want to cultivate achievable goals?  Would you like help falling in love with your life?

Click here to schedule a Life Coaching session with me today!

* P.S.  I totally thought this was a Gandhi quote!  I have been attributing this to the wrong person for so long.  This is why you fact check.  Even yourself!