Perfectionism

I seem to be harping lately on all these "self-defeating behaviors" as Margie Lawson would call them. I started my day off reading the following quote by Anna Quindlen:

"The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself."

I think this holds true in many areas of life though it is writing to which I am currently applying it. It is so true that one must throw oneself out there and take that risk in order to see where it leads. I've a tough manuscript I am working on currently that is a huge challenge. I'm finding myself stagnant sometimes for fear of not doing it justice. The above quote was helpful this morning--I had a "Duh" moment when I read it, another of Margie's terms. It isn't necessary to be "perfect" to just write. I need to just write. As I tell my daughter, "you can't hit the ball if you don't swing the bat!" Duh! I'm going to step up to the plate and see if I can round the bases. I'm hoping for a home run, but we'll see where it leads. I'm up for the challenge.

As Anne Lamott so aptly puts it in Bird by Bird, "Perfectionism...will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft." At this point, I don't care if my first draft is shitty; I just want to complete my first draft and continue the process of becoming myself.