To change a behavior like procrastinating, and a mindset like perfectionism is going to take a lot of intentional work. In researching this topic, I have discovered there are stages involved in dismantling a mindset and set of habits. The first is to have an awareness of the need for change. After developing a knowledge … More Dismantling the Mindset

Today is Sunday, and I am going to make this short and sweet. Here are two quotes from Brene Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston and author, whom I have tremendous respect for. She has written books about embracing vulnerability and cutting the grip of shame. I have read her book Daring Greatly, … More Sunday

I attended a memorial service today to celebrate the life of my 1st cousin once removed who passed away last month. Throughout the service songs, scriptures, and personal stories were shared by many honoring my cousin. From my seat, I listened to how my cousin had impacted people around him by showing genuine unconditional love. … More Time to Act. Time to Love

This is a hard question for me to answer because I tend to view life as black and white. I have spent this entire series, so far, painting the picture that perfectionism is a lie and therefore something I need to weed out of my life. When I make contrary arguments about something, my primal … More Is There Anything Good About Being a Perfectionist?

I have learned that one of the side effects of perfectionism, at least for me, is stifling my real interests. I have done this in some manner since sometime in elementary school. Perhaps I was trying to fashion a type of bully-insulation because it is safer to blend in than to stand out. While I … More I Need a Break

As an adult, my irrational fears are not nightmares involving a boogyman but now center mainly around failure. It would take a long time to unpack just how the concept of failure has elevated in my mind to the same level as self-preservation. I know it is entirely irrational to consider failure a life or … More Remembering Rational

Maybe it was the black and purple cloak that looked like flames when she raised her arms. Maybe it was her proper elegance that made her evil smile more sinister. Maybe it was her voice, her power, her vengeance. Maybe it was a combination of all of those things, but one thing was for sure, … More The Stuff of Movies and Nightmares

These last several days I have been exploring the connection between Perfectionism, Anger, and Procrastination. For me, these three things are like notes in a musical triad that when played, sound dark, sinister, and depressing. As the days go on, I continue to poke holes in the lie of Perfectionism. I know that Perfectionism, for … More Somewhere to Hang Your Hat–Part 2

The habits I have, make me into the person I become for better or worse. One of my worst is procrastination. I have wrestled with this problem a significant portion of my life. It seems like I am always putting something off instead of doing it right away, especially if it is a task I … More Waiting to Climb a Mountain

I had finished reading The Boxcar Children a while ago and fell in love with each word. I felt very comfortable with the assignment of doing a book report. Glancing over the packet of possible projects I decided that I needed to choose one that would be fun, impressive, and easy to pull off. The … More Smelling Like a Rose, Guilty

Anger management. It is hard for me to read these words and not see the grimacing faces of Jack Nicholson and Adam Sandler butting heads. I never actually saw the movie, but the poster and trailers left an impression on me that society frowns on all forms of anger, even methods aimed at helping. Anger … More Anger Management

Often, I think of anger as a negative emotion, something to never express because it is taboo. And, yes, it is true a person can do horribly destructive things out of anger. When I suppress and internalize my anger, that is when it turns into hostility and destructive behavior. I know that if I act … More Mad As Hell…And I’m Going to Do Something About It