Progress, not perfection. People that are on a journey to lose weight always resonate with that statement. But for most of us, before we hear or believe a statement like that, we've already spent a lot of years thinking we should be perfect or we could be perfect. Today, I heard someone say, "When I got hypothyroidism I had to accept that I was not going to be the perfect size two anymore so I might as well be as fat as I could get." Many people figure why not be fat if they can't be perfect forgetting that perfect doesn't exist. And if we expect ourselves to be perfect in our quest to lose weight, we're going to be gravely disappointed and therefore more inclined to get resigned and give up. The simple fact is we're going to have days when we make good choices and days when we could have made better choices. Sometimes, varying between those two can happen in the course of a single meal. So, how do you stop trying to attain perfection? Here's some things that have worked for me.
1. THINK OF BILL GATES
I used to think that I wasn't going to publish anything until it was perfect but Bill Gates helped me let go of my perfectionism. You see, Microsoft Word is one of the most flawed programs on the market. Bill Gates didn't wait till he got it perfect. In fact, he released a new version this year and it is still imperfect. And we are still buying it, imperfections and all. If he had waited till he got it perfect, it wouldn't be on sale yet today and he wouldn't have billions of dollars to show for his imperfections. So, while you might not be able to lose weight perfectly just giving it a go can be worth the investment. It was for Bill and it can be for you, too.
2. BEING A PARENT
I have generally been good at the things that I try in life. I graduated with a 3.96 GPA (almost perfect), I can cook a meal for 12 gracefully, I can drive a manual car and a motorcycle but once I had a child I had to learn to cope with imperfection. If you don't have a child, then think of any humbling thing you've tried. Being a perfect parent doesn't exist. There are literally hundreds of opportunities a day to practice self-acceptance, creativity, patience, love, understanding, tolerance. There are hundreds of uncomfortable feelings too -anger, disappointment, joy, love, loneliness, exhaustion. The only thing I can do is show up and try my best. When I make a choice I don't feel proud of, I forgive myself and learn from it for the next opportunity that will be winging its way at me within the next few seconds usually. It's no different when ending a pattern of overeating or binging. You're not going to get it perfect. You're not going to eat only the prescribed amount of food. You're not always going to leave the last bite on your plate or deny yourself of seconds. If you can accept that you're less likely to do the common thing of giving up for the day once you've made one imperfect choice.
3. ACCEPTING MY BEST
I'm not going to have the perfect body, at least not in this lifetime. I have stretch marks from gaining eighty pounds in my pregnancy, I have less than perfect breasts from nursing for two years and truth be told I have cellulite on my posterior (I'm sure this article will now help me attract heaps of male suitors - wink, wink). That being said, I have never been happier with my body. I'm not happy because my body is perfect. I'm happy because I do the best that I can to take care of it. I exercise five times a week even though I hate it. I eat well. I usually get enough rest. And I enjoy the foods I like in smaller quantities. I don't feel deprived. I feel empowered by making the best choices I can. And when I don't make good choices I forgive myself and try a little better the next time.
Lastly, did you know that most drum sounds on music that you hear today is made by a drum machine. Someone might have just been trying to eradicate all those cute drummer types that break young girl's hearts. Just kidding. The only problem is that drum machines are too on the nose. They are too perfect. That's why the machines have a knob that tries to recreate human error. There is a sticker that some people put on their drum machines that says: Drum Machines Have No Soul. The imperfections in sound give the music soul and your imperfections show that you have soul, too.
Michelle Fiordaliso, writer and psychotherapist Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_Fiordaliso |
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