Has anyone out there been as plagued as I am by perfectionism? I could have written 65 posts by now if I hadn't been so focused on downloading pix from my camera to my 'puter to flickr to this site...then failing to get the results I wanted and giving up...ACK!
So, perfectionism. Not one of the 7 habits or the 8 pillars, believe me!
All this week, I've been working on the first habit (Covey) and one of the 8 pillars (Dr Duke).
Habit 1: Be proactive. That is, notice how much you do that you position as a "have to" instead of a "want to, choose to, like to, will..." Well, noticing is the first step.
I noticed that I really frame most things as a "have to," and judge myself a failure accordingly. Not using the power of the positive there! Room for lots and lots of great improvements. So, as of today, I choose to be more intentional, more proactive, and more positive.
The pillar I've been working on is my macronutrients. And I'm in pretty good shape there. I am lucky to love fruits and vegetables, I mean LOVE them. And though I've lapsed from it recently, my daughter's vegetarianism has significantly reduced the quantity of meat products (AGH meat "products"???) in our house.
Cuts the grocery bill significantly, reduces the aerosolized fats from frying that can make cleaning kitchen surfaces such drudgery, and makes doing the dishes a simpler affair.
Let's walk around the USDA's pyramid:
Whole grains? Stoned wheat thins (Thanks, Canada!); great Michigan-made granola that includes almonds, pecans, and dried cherries; and Brownberry sprouted wheat bread. You hadn't guessed I grew up in the 50s and 60s? Well, at least it improved my dietary habits!
Veggies and fruits covered above, except I didn't mention smoothies. Just frozen fruit blended at hi speed with a splash of juice. Yum.
Calcium. That's the tough one. I'm lactose intolerant. Oh, look! Ice-cream counts as calcium. Saved in the nick of time, again.
Protein....somewhat lacking. The occasional burger (when DD isn't home to be repelled), and beans -- either Rajma Masala (thanks, Kanti and Lata!) or pinto, kidney, or black, boiled til soft, then mashed. It sounds gross, but it's just refried beans w/o the frying. Excellent on tortillas, with muenster cheese and a spoonful of scrambled egg.
<breaking for lunch, stomach growling...>
Actually, that's where I hit the big snafu. I don't eat a big breakfast, a smaller lunch, a minuscule dinner. I don't eat six or more small meals a day, unless Hershey's Hugs and billy-can coffee count. I start with carbs and end the day with one big meal (no lectures, please. We're fighting perfectionism here!) and that's really not good. So, I'll add that to my 'big rocks" for next week's repeat of habit 1.
Habit 1 again? Well, yea. I'm not going to # 2 til I'm perfect on # 1!