Why perfectionism stops us from creating new habits
Parent Post
When we decide to
When we decide to create a new habit — exercise, healthy eating, meditation, writing — we can get excited and optimistic, and have an idea of how it will go perfectly.
We might do really well for a few days or even a couple of weeks, but inevitably we’ll miss a day or two because of some reason
And then things get derailed, because of our perfect idea of how we hoped the habit would go.
Reality-based habit changeWhat if
Reality-based habit change
What if we simply said, “Let me try to bring a daily ritual of doing X into my life, and be curious about what it will be like”?
So there doesn’t have to be a fantasy that it will go perfectly or brilliantly. We can bring an intention to do it, and a curiosity about what that will be like.
It’s a cause for curiosity — what got in the way? What would it be like to start again today?
Each day becomes a lovely place of learning.
The idea that we
The idea that we should be super consistent and perfect in our habit attempts … derails us.
Here’s what typically happens:
- We think, “I’m going to start doing X every day!” Then our minds get excited and we daydream.
- We start trying to do X every day.
- Reality doesn’t match the imagination in some way.
- We get frustrated by the way things are going. We are disappointed in ourselves. We’re discouraged. We eventually quit and our self-image gets hurt.
The problem isn’t the
The problem isn’t the reality, it’s the expectation that things will go a certain way.
How could we find a different way?