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Thursday, May 31, 2007
Striving for (im)perfection
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve written several posts about changes I’ve made in my life - eating more salads, getting more exercise, making better choices, avoiding fast food, etc. I certainly don’t want anyone to get the idea that I am even close to perfect. No! I am first to admit that I have been far from perfect in this process of losing weight. I have had more than a few occassions to stuff my face (“I might as well finish up this Chinese food…”) make unhealthy choices (Corn Pops for dinner last night?! Ugh!), miss my cardio (Treadmill? What treadmill? “Lost” is on!!), and even be less than enthusiastic about weight training (“Why are we doing triceps — again?!”)
I’ve struggled internally with the concept of perfection. Do I want to aspire to be perfect in all that I am doing regarding my eating and exercise? To be honest, I can’t decide. If I aspire to perfection, I am sure to let myself down. No one is perfect. On the other hand, doesn’t greatness require high aspirations? Did Lincoln, for example (who the other Fitness Challenger, Laura, wrote about so eloquently), set low expectations for himself? Probably not!
So should I start my week by telling myself that it’s okay if I mess up every now and then, or should I start my week by saying “I’m going to do everything perfectly this week”? Should I allow myself to eat the occassional Pop Tart (or whatever) ? I’m afraid that if I don’t, I’ll go crazy from feelings of deprivation. Or I will start to feel like a total failure whenever I look back at all my “mess ups.”
Advice needed, please! How do you handle this?
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