vol.26 ~Is Perfectionism Our Greatest Enemy!?~
Good evening, this is Naoko, the yoga and Pilates person in Okinawa!
It's gotten significantly colder these past few days.
It really feels like winter!! Haha.
Even in Okinawa, the perceived temperature in the mornings and evenings is much lower than the displayed temperature,
so I've been doing yoga before bed while shivering and saying how cold it is every night... haha.
And now that the New Year's vibe has mostly faded, I imagine many of you are feeling a sudden wave of fatigue.
No matter where I taught lessons this week, many people said,
My body feels so heavy!!
I'm the same way; the weight I packed on around my waist during the New Year's holidays
hasn't dropped off yet. Haha.
However, when it comes to my body, unless something unexpected happens,
I know how it will change from here on out,
so I am determined to get it back in shape without rushing.
(Well, though, I do feel that it's harder to lose weight than it was last year or the year before... so I'm even thinking about doing a serious diet for the first time in a while. Haha.)
Today, my rambling introduction has gotten long again, so I'm not sure if it's an introduction or the main topic anymore... haha.
Please bear with the words that come to my mind again this year. Haha.
Now then. Today's theme is
Is perfectionism our greatest enemy!?
that's what it's about.
Since this topic comes up here and there quite often,
those who know, know, but
I am a perfectionist to the core. Haha.
Oh man, I used to be really bad in the past.
I absolutely hated having to fix things later or feeling embarrassed. Haha.
I loved phrases like "Passed on the first try!" or "As expected!" Haha.
And this perfectionism isn't inherently a bad thing.
Because you can't do it if you can't keep promises to yourself.
So, for those of you who think, "Oh, I'm a perfectionist too,"
rest assured! The level of trust people have in you is incredibly high!
If you can think, "Then that's fine!", you are handling perfectionism well,
so keep going just like that!! ❤︎
But wait, you might say, "The title says it's the greatest enemy!"
The reason it became an enemy for me is that
I couldn't handle this perfectionism well,
and I experienced a lot of regrets.
At that time, I thought, "Oh, let those who can handle perfectionism handle it, and maybe I should look for a vehicle that fits my own size."
To dig a little deeper,
when I thought to myself,
"Alright! It's perfect!"it was already too late."
I experienced this so many times.
Like, if it was going to turn out like this,
I should have put it out even in a tentative state.
I should have just consulted someone instead of worrying by myself.
I fell into this trap so many times.
I realized something at that time.
Because there is no such thing as a perfect person.
Just convey things as they are.
Even though I often say, "What does it take to be perfect?"
I wasn't doing that myself. That's what I realized.
And so, for me, perfectionism became my greatest enemy.
I didn't want to strangle myself and end up with regrets anymore.
So from then on, I decided to try letting go of this perfectionism,
and I started talking to people first in situations where the old me would have just overthought it,
or I prioritized saying, "It's not set in stone yet, but let's just put it out there for now!"
Especially lately. Haha.
Then, I was surprised again.
The things I talked about just for now spread rapidly,
and things I thought I would do a certain way turned into something even better.
I've had more and more experiences that I couldn't have had if I had thought about it all by myself.
There is a saying in yoga teachings:
"Vulnerability is also a strength."
The perfectionist me, the 40% me, and the 100% me are all me.
It's just a repetition of yoga practice to be able to accept any version of myself. Haha.
And that's where I'll end it for today!!! Haha.
I'm going on a trip next week, so I'll be taking a break from the column!!
Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead next week too♡
Naoko