Perfectionism, Procrastination, and Fear

Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/alle12

What a motley crew: Perfectionism, Procrastination, and Fear. While they look very different from the outside, they're all wearing the same neon green long johns underneath! Fear is the leader of this trio of impostors.

When we try something that's outside of our comfort zone, Fear sends Perfectionism and Procrastination out first to force us to stay stuck while Fear hides in the shadows. Fear has been around for a very long time. Fear is desperate to protect us against everything from saber-toothed tigers to jay-walking in Manhattan.

This Fear character can't discern between the first day in court for a new lawyer and his prehistoric counterpart who is hiding from a woolly mammoth! So, fear is working incognito, pushing Perfectionism and Procrastination right in your path.

Fear hopes that we won't even have a clue about the reason for our difficulties. And we end up blaming ourselves!

Let's look at Perfectionism. First it will con us into thinking that perfection is a worthy, even honorable goal. But how can that be true when it keeps us barely crawling toward our goals? (Not to mention that perfection is impossible to attain!)

Procrastination, on the other hand, makes us feel bad about ourselves, and we start looking for ways to "fix" that. And taking time for fixing slows us down even more! Ugh!

Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/Joe Potato Photo


Let's get to the bottom of the Fear. Let's dust it off and take a closer look. Is this Fear from limiting beliefs from the past? A past experience that we don't want to risk repeating? A worst-case scenario that we don't want to manifest? What are the odds for this scary scenario actually happening? How would you cope if it did?

Pick a situation in your own life and apply the questions above to it. Please put your answers in the comments section! Your responses will deepen the meaning of the questions for all of us (including you!) Please answer now, while it's fresh in your mind. In other words, don't procrastinate! :-)

Making mistakes is our only bridge to competency, and of course there is no bridge to Perfection at all. And even if there were, no one would ever make it to the other side, due to Fear and Procrastination!

All my best,

Susan

Upcoming Spring Events, Both Local and Global

Local:

The Boyertown Area Community Wellness Fair is on Saturday, March 26!

Contact me for more information at scleaver@dejazzd.com or 610-385-3766.

The Healthy Lifestyles EXPO will be in Pottstown, PA, on Friday, April 15.

Contact me at scleaver@dejazzd.com or 610-385-3766.

Both local events mentioned above will be complimentary, and I'll have a table at each!

The Stress-Less Evening will take place on Friday evening, April 29, to wrap up our three months of "The Possible You"!

One of my most popular events...at a recession-friendly fee of $25 prepaid for two hours of pure pampering! Contact me at scleaver@dejazzd.com or 610-385-3766. I'll need your check by Wednesday, April 20, 2011.

Global:

A complimentary coaching session by phone is available for the first three people who contact me to set up a time by Friday, April 8, 2011! Appointment dates for the actual coaching call will close out after Tuesday, May 10, 2011.
Contact me at scleaver@dejazzd.com or 610-385-3766.

The Complimentary Dig-In Day via Teleconference Line will be on Tuesday, May 3. This will be the Kick-Off Event for our Second-Quarter Topic for our Year of Audacious Self-Care: "Take a Look Around: Your Immediate Environment." We will be improving our home, office, or studio environments. Here's how:

*We all call in at a specified time.*

*We each declare specifically what we will do in the coming hour to improve our immediate environments.*

*We hang up and do it!*

*We call in again, report our progress, offer support, and declare our task for the next hour.*

*During the last call, we report our progress again, address concerns, and celebrate!*

Again, the Dig-In Date Is May 3. Here is the call schedule:

7:00, 8:00, and 9:00 pm Eastern

Save the Date! In my next post I'll be supplying the phone number and PIN Code.

***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

***Active member of the TriCounty Community Network, based in Pottstown, PA;

http://www.tcnetwork.org/.***

Photo (c) iStockphoto.com/Joe Potato Photo

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Resolution Check-In

"Mistakes are the portals of discovery." --James Joyce

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Sweet Victories or Sour Grapes?

Are you on your way to manifesting your resolutions, or is your enthusiasm sagging? Either way, I'd suggest that you go back to my December 11 post and brush up on the basics of carrying out creative resolutions. Then check out the common pitfalls discussed below.

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Pitfall #1: Trying to Swim Upstream

Have you ever seen the ads for a space-saving exercise pool? They are only about 8 ft. long, 5 ft. wide, and operate on the principle that if you try to swim upstream, you will likely end up staying in the same place. The pool sends a current of water forward and you swim against it.

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This is fine for space-saving exercise, but I don't think it's what you had in mind for your resolutions! The Universe can't help us if we are struggling to go the other way. We've heard it a million times because it's true: go with the flow.

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You'll have to decide what this means for you in relation to your own resolutions, but here's an example. Did you set up a resolution that forces you to focus on your weaknesses and fix them? Instead, rework it so that you are building on your strengths. It's easier, it makes you feel better about yourself, and it attracts more strengths, because that's what you're focusing on!

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Pitfall #2: Believing It Has to Be Difficult

We've been trying to swim upstream for so long, we've come to believe that where there's no pain there's no gain. Sure, you need to take action, but check in with your intuition first for help with your decisions and timing. It'll help you sail right around those pesky boulders in the river of life.

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Pitfall #3: Blaming Others

So, are you going to sail around the boulder, or are you going to blame nature for putting it in your way? Blaming others or blaming institutions or circumstances puts us in a powerless mindset, because it follows that we think there's nothing we can do to change the situation.

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This doesn't mean we have to blame ourselves, it just means that we have to accept responsibility for doing what is needed to get our resolutions back on the right track.

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Pitfall #4: Lack of a Support Structure on Which to Build Your Goal

Can your current life circumstances support the personal growth it'll take to get to your goal? How are your finances, health, relationships, etc.? Do you have accountability and moral support in place?

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I'm offering personalized complimentary email support, once a week for four weeks to the first ten people who request it. If you're interested, email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com.

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To your success,

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Susan

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***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

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Try an Art Marathon

National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo, is not for the faint of heart. If you dare, check it out at www.nanowrimo.org. The object of the game is to write a 50,000-word novel between November 1 and November 30.

Why would anyone do this to himself?? The folks at NaNoWriMo say, "By forcing yourself to write so intensely, you are giving yourself permission to make mistakes. To forgo the endless tweaking and editing and just create."

You may think there's a madness to their "method," but take a closer look, and you'll see the method to their "madness."

"NaNoWriMo is all about the magical power of deadlines," say the NaNoWriMo folks. "...the glow from creating big, messy art...lasts for a long, long time. The act of sustained creation does bizarre and wonderful things to you....And changes, a little bit, your sense of self."

Here's what I'd like to propose. Scale this idea down to what's manageable for you and apply it to any art form you choose. It's a great way to get rid of that nagging editor or art critic, etc., that chatters in your head. You simply outrun him.

Then dig through the rubble to find the chunks of gold hidden within!

To your success,

Susan

P.S. Do you have a deep thinker on your holiday list? Email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com to order my guided journal, The Whispering Heart. ($10 US; plus tax and shipping depending on where you live.) See the sample exercise below:

Treasures

"Life is a spiritual treasure hunt--when we are paying attention, we see that there are clues everywhere we look." --Sandra C. Brossman

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What treasures are you finding in your daily life?

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P.P.S. A big thanks to my son, Dave, for telling me about NaNoWriMo!