Perfectionism

(Sorry, I couldn’t find just the right photo)

(originally titled, Writers Block, but that just wasn’t right)

What's the deal with writers block?  I mean, what's the point?  I've got stuff to write about, I've got time to write, but I just am not doing it.  Maybe writers block isn't the right term.  Perhaps lazy or unmotivated, or overwhelmed, or maybe even frustrated are better descriptions.

A friend of a friend once said, "Perfection is the death of art."  Wow.  Now that was spoken like a true artist.  This is definitely true for me.  I can't even tell you how many hundred great ideas have been shot down by my overly critical mind before I even give them a chance.

Of course just knowing I have a problem can be helpful.  At least I can work on these tendencies and try to hold them at bay.  But, knowing is only part of the battle, doing is the hard part.  This is especially true when your favorite quote is, "God is in the details."  (Frank Lloyd Wright)

Being a detail freak goes much further than just trying to punctuate and spell properly, or trying to say something worth saying, or trying to take well composed photos, or etc., or etc.  It also has to do with the noise level of the room where I am working, the temperature, and 99 other variables that have to be satisfied.

One thing that also helps me is having at least one child that shares the same tendencies I do.  In helping this child learn that it's okay to make mistakes, I am hopefully teaching myself the same thing.  One of the best things we stumbled across for her (and for the rest of us too) was a children's song by Laurie Berkner that basically says, "You're not perfect, no you're not.  But you do your very best, and I love anyway."

This song was like a light for her, piercing through the dark fog of perfectionism.   It was amazing to watch her little eyes brighten as she listened for the first time.  This was her first glimpse into a world she had not realized could be.

Sometimes you just have to do something.  You just have to stop doing nothing, stop fretting about the details, stop worrying, and start getting something done.  Even if you think it won't work, even if you think you might fail, even if you think your work isn't worthy of anything, you just have do it.  You just have to forget about failing, forget about your imperfections, forget about your insecurities, and just do it.

So what if you fall down?  So what if you fail?  It isn't going to end the world.  And no matter what, the important people are most likely going to love you anyway.  Hopefully.

Just do it.  Just do it.  Just get up off your behind and do it.