perfection ~ noun

the condition, state, or quality of being free or as free as possible from all flaws or defects

I’ve been pondering perfectionism lately and thought it would be the perfect opportunity to write a blog post.  Part of setting my goal of blogging 2x a month this school year was to try and break free from the disability that perfectionism has played in my writing.  I have come a long way and still have a long way to go.  I will say that I no longer despise the act of writing, but have grown to accept it as a welcome challenge.  (Side Note:  I just spent 10 minutes looking up whether it should be ‘welcome challenge’ or ‘welcomed challenge’.  UGH!  These are the details that frustrate me when writing!)

Instead of writing elegant paragraphs for this blog post, I’m using a strategy I have suggested to some of my students who struggle with writing.  Start by writing a list of your thoughts and then organize them into categories.  Here’s what I have so far…

• Quotes
  • Strive for continuous improvement, instead of perfection ~Kim Collins
  • Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence ~Vince Lombardi
  • I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection.  Excellence I can reach for; perfection is God’s business. ~Michael J. Fox
• Articles
  • Helping Gifted Students Cope with Perfectionism
  • Is there a cure for the busyness epidemic?
• Questions
  • Is perfectionism a bad thing?
  • How has media enforced perfectionism?  Is it all the media’s fault or am I unintentionally/unknowingly demanding perfection in my children/students?

I’m interested in your thoughts about perfectionism?  Do you have any resources to share?Maybe you’re like me and have more questions than answers.  Leave a comment below.  I look forward to learning from you!