Much of my adult life (that is to say the past 25 years after my formal education ended) has been spent trying to figure out my own personal definitions of failure and success. Being voted "Most Likely to Succeed" by my high school classmates has made me a poster child for humility. After graduating with a B.A. in political science with departmental honors I made a decision to 'ditch' these studies and go to law school rather than on to graduate school to earn a Ph.D. and become a political pundit, politician, or acedemic. At age 25 (25 years ago) I completed that J.D., passed the bar exam, and made a living using that degree--for only about 6 years.
After 25 years I'm still not sure which polarity--failure or success--generates more fear for me. I think much of it is wrapped up in "issues" I have with perfectionism. it's just another mental journey I'm always traveling.
To help me on this journey, Therese Borchard, has yet again boiled down ages of wisdom into 9 mantras to help me keep my focus as I set out to grapple with this long standing problem of perfectionism. Having reached a milestone marker age, I'm making my own "bucket list" as I am assessing of what I've done and left undone in my life--both for myself and for others in this world. So now I'm attempting to learn/try a few new things such as playing the guitar and making a quilt both for my own benefit and for the benefit of others.
I'm sharing with you the wisdom about perfectionism that Borchard put forth on Beliefnet today. I'll be using them as I attempt to learn these new skills I've been meaning to learn for many years but never quite let myself follow through.
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