Giving up on Perfection

At age 41, I’m a proud mother of two fantastic kids. Married to an amazing husband and trying my best to keep fit and healthy while trying to help others do the same.

After my amazing results with P90X, I thought I was as close to perfect as I was going to get. Seeing that this was at age 40, I thought that was pretty darned good. But, life gets in the way and my fitness took a few steps back. I spent too much time on the computer (a bad thing) and more time with my family (a VERY good thing).

I was concerned that this “slip” in fitness focus would make me less credible. It’s not like I’ve gained all my weight back. In fact, I’ve probably only gained back about 10 pounds, but being a perfectionist, I could not accept this slip. I tried to keep it hidden from my readers, fans, followers, etc. NO MORE! I’m out of the closet with my fitness failures and back on track to be better each and every day. Not perfect, just better.

Practically all of my life, I have been a perfectionist. Nothing is ever good enough; I am always striving to do better. Of course, there are both good and bad things about this characteristic. I decided to do a little research about what others think about being perfect as well. I happened to stumble upon a comment from a Father Michael of Liveholiness.com. He said,

I think perfection is a great goal, but it can lead to great frustration. I experience that frustration every day when I see how imperfect I am! A friend of mine always likes to remind me that it’s about “progress, not perfection.” Even though I’m imperfect each day, I can at least try to make some progress in some area each day as well.Ah, with a sigh of some relief, I realized THIS is me. THIS is what I am aiming for. I am not striving to be perfect, but to better myself, even if just a little, each and every day. I never thought I’d have this in common with a priest, but hey, you can’t argue with divine intervention, huh? I was obviously meant to stumble upon this exact blog and this exact comment.

Another blogger, Belinda Munoz, wrote a great piece about perfectionism. She states:

Here’s the reason why perfectionism is exactly what we need: because in the chase of it, we will find under no uncertain terms that flaws are here to stay. They’re not going anywhere. Our flaws and other people’s flaws. And these flaws that you and I share appeal to the best of us because through our flaws, we have amazing opportunities to bond in very real and meaningful ways. No big mystery. Just another proven, timeless, simple truth.Once again, I could not have said it better myself. Thanks Belinda! So, let’s rejoice in our imperfections, but try to improve them. We’ll work together to be stronger, more fit, flexible, health and happy. I’m here for you and so many of you are here for me as well. On with the journey!

All the best in health and fitness.
- Coach Jenn of PersonalFitCoach.com and Team Beachbody

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