Hello, Perfectionism. My old nemesis. My worst enemy. My jailor. We meet again, though you have actually never been away.
You lurk within my mind and taint my feelings. You judge me, then convince me that I will never be good enough. Then to make it worse, you subvert my best efforts to forgive myself.
I don’t remember when you clawed your way into my psyche. I was probably too young to remember. And though I have tried to ignore you, override you, expel you, I never could. You roared back as soon as I had a weak moment.
I weep when I think of the opportunities I have passed up because of your lies. I look back at my life, and what do I see? Things I could have done and been, except that I let you convince me they were out of my reach. Why try at all if I wouldn’t be able to do something perfectly? And so, I didn’t try.
Yet, Perfectionism, you haven’t been perfectly successful yourself. Despite your sabotage, I have known love and friendship; I have accomplished things that make me proud. Best of all, I’m still alive, now armed with insights that can only come with aging.
Perfectionism, consider yourself kicked to the curb. From now on, I pledge to fill my heart with inspiration like this:
Home Sweet Abbey 
That is just perfect!!
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Someone once said that failures are educational opportunities. Very well written, Caryl. Maureen
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Thank you, Maureen!
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Beautifully written!! Loved it!
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Thanks, Judi!
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Nice! This was especially inspiring after my most recent radio broadcast… 😉
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I wasn’t able to listen live, so I’ll be checking it out online. Bet I don’t notice any imperfections, though!
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