Striving for perfection

I'm probably harder on myself than most people when it comes to many aspects of my life. Nothing seems to be the way it should be. I've yet to run the "perfect race." I don't have the body that I want etc., etc....
What makes this interesting, is the fact that my quest for perfection keeps me motivated to keep going and yet there are many times that I forget about the successes that I've had along the way. This past weekend my son and I fixed up my office and I decided to hang up my medals, trophy and plaque and running bibs in my basement. I did this as a reminder to myself about the races that I've done. Each one holds a special place in my heart and when I look at each of them I can take myself back to that race and the different challenges that I had to overcome.

Being happy about our accomplishments is something that I talk to my clients about on a regular basis. Are we ever going to be satisfied with how we look? If we don't feel good about ourselves is it really going to matter to us if someone tells us that we look "good?"
There are things about myself that I know I'll never be happy about and in all likelihood I'll probably never reach certain goals that I've set for myself. Accepting that used to be seen as a failure but I'm starting to realize that it's the imperfections in all of us that make us who we are. That doesn't mean that I, or anyone for that matter, should "settle" for things that we can control. Instead, what it means is that it's important to celebrate our imperfections and do what we can to embrace them while still working hard to try and accomplish our goals.

When it comes to my running, I know that my last race was a very humbling experience. I worked as hard as humanly possible to reach my goal but it didn't happen. It was disappointing to be sure, but there are parts of that race that I can feel good about. I probably worked harder to finish that race than any other race that I've done so I can celebrate the fact that I finished the race. I've spoken to a few runners who also had bad races that day and one of them even said that she may never run another marathon again. That's one thing that I can honestly say hasn't crossed my mind. Instead, I'm using that experience as a learning tool.

There is a fine line between complacency and obsession but it truly begins with how you feel about yourself and not how others see you.