…to have dishes sitting in the sink.
…to not have thousands of dollars in the bank.
…to sleep in on Saturdays.
…to work on one project at a time.
…to not do laundry every day.
…to not have a set of six-pack abs.
…to be thankful for what you have.
…to feel overwhelmed sometimes.
…to ask for help.
…to aspire to be something more.
…to not be like everyone else.
…to not like to run in the winter.
…to eat a cheesy piece of pizza for dinner.
…to eat another piece for breakfast.
…to spend a day in pajamas.
…to cry.
…to laugh right after.
…to not be perfect.
…to let life happen naturally.
…to love yourself for who you are.
Yesterday, I had one of those days. You know the kind. It wasn’t really bad but I wasn’t feeling on top of my game. I felt a little sad and a little stressed. Nothing happened that set me off…I just felt down. Then, I started thinking about the things I could do to lift my spirits. I had a serious conversation with Lee…who is always so level-headed. I need to learn to relax. I need to learn that it is impossible for me to do everything, all of the time, and be perfect 100% of that time. I need to chill out.
Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves? There is so much that I want to do but just cannot right now because of time or money. Does that really make me a failure? Absolutely not. I am still young and I have my entire life ahead of me. There is no timeline and no deadline. Maybe I can’t do everything I want right now, but why does that have to mean it will never happen? I need to focus on the here and now and embrace where I am. I have an amazing fiancé, amazing friends, an amazing family, and two great jobs that I love…so, why in the world would I want or need more? I guess it’s just that ‘striving for perfection’ trap that I tend to fall into way too often and that I need to learn to avoid. Starting now.
I had my bad day. I reflected on what I needed to do to make it better. The first step? Removing the pressure. Removing that desire for perfection. I’m going to be me and love the person I am. This is, after all, the only life we get. Why waste it by having bad days?
With much Love and Laughter,
Kelly
Something to share: Do you find yourself striving for perfection or putting too much pressure on yourself? How do you deal with stress and find balance in your life?
I am always juggling more than I can handle. With my marriage, work, 4 kids, blogging, running, and life in general it is easy to get overwhelmed. Some days you just have to accept the fact that you are only 1 person and you can only do so much! I love your list. I need to make one myself! Hang in there and I hope your week gets easier and less stressful!
Thanks, friend! I think we all like to be a ‘superwoman’ and we need to learn it’s okay not to be!
i hear ya girl! i put more pressure on myself than anybody else. constantly reminding myself that it’s ok to not be perfect.
Pressure can be good and bad…it’s just important to know the difference!
I get the SAME way at times! And it’s all from pressure I put on MYSELF! No one expects us to be perfect, yet we feel bad when we’re not.
Thank you for your honesty in this post.
I think it’s always our ‘expectations’ of what everyone else ‘expects’ that gets us in trouble!
I think we all have those days. What’s important is that when we those days, we look within and outside of us to see how blessed we are to have a life to live
Excatly! Counting our blessings is a great way to turn a bad day around!
I really love your message lady! And today is the day I needed to read that your timing is impeccable! : )
I’m a reformed perfectionist (I used to be practically OCD) and I’m working on calming down and enjoying the NOW.
Yoga definitely helps me with this!
Hope you have a great day beautiful!
I always say I need to try yoga…and then never make time for it! Imagine that!
Yes, yes, and yes. As much as I talk about making every moment matter and being enough, I struggle with this as well….regularly. Thanks for the reminder.
It’s good to know we’re all in this together!
I am a perfectionist from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. So yeah, I can relate.
Last year though, I spent a lot of time working on giving myself a break. Focusing on right now instead of everything that’s not quite right. I now try to think about this quote: Whatever will be, will be. 
Great quote and one I need to say to myself every day!
Um, I feel so like this lately. So much unnecessary pressure. I absolutely adore this post. What a great message and something I could use hearing.
Terrific attitude girl!
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I am definitely too hard on myself. Thank you for this post.
It is definitely easy to be hard on ourselves…but, hopefully, we can all help each other bounce back!
I just discovered your blog through Tina’s Friday Links post. Thanks for this reminder-I can relate to this on so many levels! Each day is a new day!
Glad you found me! Each day is definitely a chance to start over with a positive attitude!