On Friday, the lovely Jess had me over for supper – it was so nice to catch up. After we consulted on the menu, she decided on some cashew ginger tofu (from Eat Drink and Be Vegan) with baked squash and spinach salad. 
Since we’ve known one another, we’ve obviously talked a lot about weight loss and our respective journeys, as when I first met Jess, she was still in the midst of losing her weight. She went on to reach her goal on her birthday, become Lifetime and then become a Leader, which has been amazing to watch. On Friday we had a big talk about the pressures we add to ourselves when we’re on program and we know that there are members, readers and viewers watching.
As a self-proclaimed Type A personality, I often strive for perfection. I can be very hard on myself as I work towards being the best I can be. Sometimes I stand in my own way. The thing I love about Weight Watchers is that you can work the program to the best of your ability each and every day without having to strive for “perfection”. If I don’t get in a Good Health Guideline or miss a few days of tracking, the Weight Watchers gods don’t come and beat me up, because I know that I am working the program to the best of my ability at that moment. Each and every day I gain new experiences which carry me over to the next one.
Yesterday I started a new class at school called the Psychology of Disease. I’ve been really excited to take this class and yesterday did not disappoint; I was absolutely enthralled the entire class. Our instructor began by telling us a story of a donut binge, knowing full well that she was a nutritionist who knew the “right” thing to be doing. It was exactly what I needed to hear.
Talking with Jess and other friends and listening to Tracy yesterday has really helped me to realize that everything is okay. I may not have made some great decisions with my eating in January, but I’m on the other side now and learning from those experiences. I can look back objectively and recognize that while I may not have been “perfect”, I was doing the best I could under the circumstances and as a result I’m doing a lot better now. This is all we can do in life; Live, learn, laugh, love and move forward.
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything,
That's how the light gets in.
~Leonard Cohen
Do you find yourself aiming for perfection? How do you allow yourself some breathing room?
5 comments:
Honestly our talk helped me a lot too. It's about the NOW and taking it one day at a time. No rushing, just trying to be the best you can be
We must to another dinner soon:) And I can't wait to see you tomorrow for pump:) I LOVE YOU!
I'm sort of trying for perfection to lose this weight once and for all. However this time around I have found myself not beating myself up if say I don't get my walk in or eat too much salt,etc. I realize it just leads me to feeling really guilty and is one step closer to me giving up on the whole deal.
I'm really trying to remind myself this is going to take some time so don't get mad if I slip up. But also not to let this be a reason to slip up knowingly :-)
You guys look so cute! Especially the one of Jess and the food processor.
I haven't been commenting much, but please know that I'm reading you every day Ash.
Without getting too mushy, just know you're in my thoughts during these tough times. You're such a strong woman, never forget that.
xoox
That banana soft serve is the BEST! I also love that tofu recipe. :)
Once again, thank you for being so honest in your posts. I am sorry to hear about your break-up with Joey. That must have been so difficult. Lots of love and healing to you.
I am a perfectionist and am always striving to do my best. But as I've gotten older (I'm still only 26), I've definitely learned to be gentler with myself and accept that things are not always going to work out the way that I imagined. I've also learned that things always work out for the best--and the long-term outcome is often much better than anything I had imagined to begin with.
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