Perfectionism

Learning To Love Yourself And Your Body

Susan Harrow | Posted 11.11.2009 | Living


Susan Harrow

Myers says that we can locate virtues inside our bodies. For example, she houses courage in her diaphragm. That's where she goes to find the energy to do a handstand in Yoga.

Rethinking Perfection

Pavel Somov, Ph.D. | Posted 11.10.2009 | Living


Pavel Somov, Ph.D.

As a perfectionist, you think of perfection as a state. As you clean your kitchen or your car or your desk, you fantasize about preserving the state of perfection that you have accomplished.

Life: Completely Incomplete

Pavel Somov, Ph.D. | Posted 10.22.2009 | Living


Pavel Somov, Ph.D.

The challenge is to embrace the inevitable, unstoppable stream of life and to flow with it rather than try to swim against it.

A Triathlete Amputee's Thoughts On Her Body: Missing An Arm, But Not Courage, Part 1

Susan Harrow | Posted 10.16.2009 | Living


Susan Harrow

Leadership expert, triathlete and mother of quadruplets, twins and three other children, DeeDee Myers is never without lipstick in her purse. She's always prepared, always presentable, no matter what.

Unlearning the "Perfect Lessons" From History

Carol Smaldino | Posted 10.11.2009 | Politics


Carol Smaldino

To admit our part in emotional and educational and political violence, through our modeling of hatred and righteousness or through our passivity, we would have to begin to turn the notion of perfectionism on its head.

Why Seeking To Be Perfect Never Works

Soren Gordhamer | Posted 10.11.2009 | Living


Soren Gordhamer

While I have nothing against cool clothes, exercise, and health drinks, let's get one thing straight: perfection is something that exists inside us, never from the outside.

3 Types of Perfectionistic Hunger

Pavel Somov, Ph.D. | Posted 10.03.2009 | Living


Pavel Somov, Ph.D.

Ask yourself: What am I hungering for? What am I chasing: perfection, approval, certainty, validation?

Speed as an Antidote to Writer's Block

Hillary Rettig | Posted 10.02.2009 | Living


Hillary Rettig

Productive people write without much distraction. They don't, for instance, stop to check their emails or text messages every few words or paragraphs

Tyra Banks: Tyra Show Casting - Do You Have a Body Part You Absolutely Hate?

Susan Harrow | Posted 11.24.2009 | Living


Susan Harrow

Do you have a body part that you absolutely hate and sometimes feel ashamed of? Are you constantly finding ways to cover it up or hide it?

Similarity Isn't Sameness

Pavel Somov, Ph.D. | Posted 11.20.2009 | Living


Pavel Somov, Ph.D.

To function as a society, and to function in a society, we have to play this game of comparisons. This game is useful but fundamentally absurd. After all, how do you compare apples to oranges?

"It Is What It Is" Is the Only Truth, the Rest is Interpretation

Pavel Somov, Ph.D. | Posted 11.17.2009 | Living


Pavel Somov, Ph.D.

When you and I look at one and the same object of reality, say a hat, and you think it is great looking and I think it's heinous, the only thing that both of us can agree on is that "it is what it is."

Mothers That Measure Their Daughters

Susan Harrow | Posted 11.15.2009 | Living


Susan Harrow

I am examined, scrutinized and commented upon. "I didn't have lines like those on my lips when I was your age," my mother says in the bright lights of her marble bathroom.

Why Start With The Perfect?

Gerald Sindell | Posted 11.12.2009 | Politics


Gerald Sindell

I'm not so sure about throwing the perfect overboard. I keep wondering how can we ever know what really is essential unless we first know what the perfect looks like?

Hate Your Body? 3 Steps Toward Learning To Love It

Sadie Nardini | Posted 11.09.2009 | Living


Sadie Nardini

This superficially focused yet deeply-ingrained striving for some unattainable, deprivation-based goal can easily overcome a good life, and swallow it whole. And those feelings can turn deadly for some of us, or at the very least, consistently ruin our days.

Why Messing Up Is Good For You

Therese Borchard | Posted 08.25.2009 | Living


Therese Borchard

I've been "mastering" my perfectionism problem this summer, as contradictory as that statement sounds. I joined a Masters swimming program knowing fu...

If Your Life Is Perfect, Don't Read This: You Have Enough Joy Anyway

Wes Isley | Posted 09.11.2009 | Living


Wes Isley

I repeatedly ask myself this question, and so should you: Is your dream more important than your fear of failure?

The Secret to Joy? Let Yourself Be a Kid Again

Wes Isley | Posted 08.30.2009 | Living


Wes Isley

Sure, we have to be responsible parents and adults, pay our bills and such. But if something brings you joy, why not incorporate it into your life?

How You Can Begin Creating a More Joyful Life

Wes Isley | Posted 07.30.2009 | Living


Wes Isley

While we can't always control what life throws at us, we can control how we react -- and that's the key to unlocking joy.

Enjoy the Fun of Failure (Or At Least Try)

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 07.29.2009 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

Two of my happiness-project resolutions are Enjoy the fun of failure and Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. I'm a perfectionist. I hate...

I Am (not) Good Enough: Three Ways to Battle This Feeling

Carolyn Rubenstein | Posted 07.26.2009 | Living


Carolyn Rubenstein

How incredible it is that in a split second, we can shift our mindset from negative to positive. I work to overcome the feeling of being "not good enough" by using the following strategies.

8 Tips For Dealing With Criticism

Gretchen Rubin | Posted 02.07.2009 | Living


Gretchen Rubin

I have a very hard time being criticized, corrected, or accused - even of the smallest mistakes - and I react very angrily. I've wrestled this instinc...

The Tyranny of Perfection

Jane Shure | Posted 01.10.2009 | Living


Jane Shure

So often, daughters and sons blame themselves for the unknown tragedies in their parents' childhoods. Often without awareness, they seek to transform their parent's sadness.

Perfectionists Make Themselves Miserable

New York Times | BENEDICT CAREY | Posted 03.28.2008 | Living


Yet several recent studies stand as a warning against taking the platitudes of achievement too seriously. The new research focuses on a familiar type,...