Thursday, November 13, 2008

Stop the perfecution!

Oh, the power of a typo now and then!

I read an email post by my friend Raventalker today about perfection and our obsession with it. The subject line read was "Perfectuion." With the addition of the mistyped letter U, my mind read, "Perfecution," and I thought, "What a GREAT word!"

There are areas of my life wherein I'm anything but a perfectionist. There are other areas where my desire...some would say obsession...with getting it "right" all but paralyzes me. I become my own worst enemy, persecuting myself for failures large and small, real and imagined...anything short of perfection. "Perfecution" is the "perfect" word for the act of persecuting oneself for lack of perfection. I'm adopting it immediately!

Along with my new word, I'm adopting a renewed committment to not "perfecuting" myself so much. Perfection is wonderful as a goal; it pretty much stinks as a standard. Gratitude is being able to accept and enjoy what is, as is, without reservation. That includes me. I am enough.

Thanks, Raventalker, for both the wisdom of your words and the unintended gift of one little typo - a small imperfection that led to the perfect word and a perfect reminder to see the world - including myself - through grateful eyes. Grateful eyes see beauty everywhere.

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous1:26 PM

    I love this word! I need to adopt this midnset as well!!!

    :)

    (PS: the word-verification for this comment is "cheriess", which I read as "cheeriness" - something I'll have more of when I stop belittling myself over little things. Fitting!)

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  2. Thanks for the comment, Criss...and your "cheriess" / "cheeriness" ancedote is indeed fitting!

    A friend told me recently that perfecution is also the perfect combination of "perfect execution" - which makes it a mighty fine dual-purpose word. I'm liking it more all the time!

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