Overwhelming Self-Imposed Pressure

Okay. It's time to admit it. I struggle daily with overwhelming, self-imposed pressure. Pressure to be a perfect mother, perfect wife, wildly successful business owner, prolific blogger, inspiring activist, etcetera, etcetera. These pressures rarely contribute to my success or happiness. In fact, they tend to have the opposite effect; and yet, while I know this - I continue to seek perfection. Why? Well, I think I have a few known causes, all extremely too personal for blogging...and likely irrelevant as we perfectionists must all have our own reasons. But what's not too personal to blog about is the release to be found in admitting it. Admitting to this need for perfection somehow releases me (at least momentarily) from seeking it.

I've found this is a common experience amongst all perfectionists. And, today, whilst catching up with a backlog of unread blogs - I came across this relevant post from Seth Godin. Seth interviews Diablo Cody, writer of film, Juno, about what it is to write after having such a successful first film. Her response was not at all what one might expect from an Academy Award winning writer. Moreover, I found her generosity to herself incredibly inspiring - so naturally, I wanted to make sure you saw this post. Whether you write, paint, mother, or entrepreneur - Cody's stance will beg you to question how you define success - for the better.

Thank you Seth, for another fabulous, succinct post!