About That Perfectionism...

So... I started this blog nearly 2 years ago. My 2nd post was about the curse of perfectionism. The fact that I've only posted a total of 4 times in 2 years is a testament to my struggle with said perfectionism. Have I had nothing to say for 2 years? Hardly! Have I just not even thought about blogging for 2 years? Hardly! So why haven't I just done it? This question haunts my life daily.

First of all, you should check out my previous post Making It Look Easy - Fears and Failures of a Perfectionist. I mean, seriously, why not? There are only 4 posts in total right now. You've totally got the time to read my entire blog! One of the quotes I used in that post is the best explanation as to why I haven't written more:

"A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault." -John Henry Newman

Guess what I've been doing! Yep. Waiting to write blogs of perfection. I've thought about writing something & then second-guessed it thinking, "Nah, I don't have all my ideas fleshed out yet, I'll wait until I have more clarity about that." If I'd just start writing, the ideas could flesh themselves out as I go, but I hesitate because apparently not only am I afraid to publish imperfection, I'm also afraid of drafting imperfection. How ridiculous is that? I've considered writing something & then realized that I don't want to reign in my thoughts/emotions/opinions to the confines of "proper" writing. I want to be able to write a stream of consciousness if I want. Sentence fragments, misplaced commas, etc. I think about the ridicule of my actual writing techniques from strangers who would read my blog. What if my grammar sucks? What if my sentence structure sucks? Most importantly, what if someone notices?!? All that does is keep me from writing at all. If there's no blog, there's nothing to criticize. However, there's also no expression. I could have valuable things to share, yet my own selfish (and outrageous) fears keep me from sharing anything at all.

Basically, all of this was to say, "Hey, Readers! Keep me accountable!" I'm committing to you, right now, to write more often - even if the posts are only a couple paragraphs, even if the posts aren't structured like a press release or a dissertation for a Ph.D in English, even if there are (gasp!) spelling errors.

I WILL WRITE.

I will stop standing in my own way. I will put on my big girl britches and follow through. I will acknowledge that "done" is better than "perfect," because "perfect" never happens. And maybe, just maybe, somewhere along the way I'll say something that strikes you as interesting, touching, exciting, funny, or relatable.

-----------------------------

To-Do List for 8/17/2012
Rise above the need for perfection
Post new blog
Celebrate life's little victories