The "P" Word (actually, there's two of them!)

Has someone ever called you a Perfectionist? Do you consider yourself a Perfectionist? Why?

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I definitely put the label of Perfectionist on myself. I'm critical of everything I do (in a good way) because I want all of my work to be the best that it can be.

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I'm told by many people (in both my personal life and professional life), "Just get it done." Well, "it" just doesn't get done, you know? If that "it" is something important, it takes hours of thought, of manpower, of revision, etc. That's where the second P comes in - imPortant.

When someone tells me, "Just get it done," I feel like they don't understand how imPortant the task is. Other people (students, teachers, administrators, colleagues, co-presenters, even family members) are all expecting my best, and they deserve my best. We ask nothing less from our students than their personal best, and we hold them accountable for doing so. I'm sure you're like me in some aspects of your life, that you spend extra time on those tasks because they are imPortant and you want them to be Perfect. What are the most imPortant things in your life? Are those the area where you feel you strive to be Perfect?

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Has there ever been a time when I haven't done my best? Sure. But it's usually when I've run out of time... or run out of caffeine. When I have reached that point, I tell myself, "It's good enough." But as long as I've got time AND energy, whatever I'm working on is going to get that time and energy.

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Perfectionism, my friends, might be seen as a flaw to some because we never let "it" go. But you know what we truly are? PASSIONATE! (What? Another P word?!!) And everyone is Passionate about something! You can tell I've become Passionate about this blog I'm creating - I've gone through the text countless time to make it as Pperfect as I can.

Do you know where your true passions lie? How do you bring your passions into your life? (Wouldn't you enjoy life more if you did?) Do you feel like your life lacks meaning at this moment? Spend some time to dig deep, and make room in your life for what you're Passionate about! Take the time (and drink your caffeine) so that whatever is imPortant to you is something that you can do more of, especially if it means you get to be a Perfectionist every once in a while.

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However... I would be amiss if I said it is an ideal to strive for to be a Perfectionist in all of your Passions. Otherwise we'd never get any sleep! (And trust me, there are times when I don't!) So how do we find balance in our lives? When we have to juggle so many imPortant things, including what we are Passionate about, what do we do? Another P word comes to mind... Prioritize. I definitely struggle with that, and I think many Perfectionists do too.

That'll be a reflection for another time. After all, I have many Priorities today.

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What about you? How do you see the all of the Ps co-existing in your life?