Perfection is our enemy! Ever want to start something new but feel like you can’t until 15 other things are accomplished first? Do you stop yourself from starting a new project that your heart secretly yearns for because you worry it won’t come out perfect? If so, you’re not alone!
Let's talk about how we get in our own way, and how we can let go of perfectionism in the service of following our hearts. Plus, I share what it was like to apprentice to tattoo for those first difficult months when my skill level was really low and my desire to be professional was super high.
Some Highlights
2:15 The terrifying experience of tattooing for the first time on an actual person and the fear of failure or disappointing someone else when I knew the stakes were permanent
3:07 The numbness of committing to the process in order to spare my feelings from the panic I would otherwise experience
4:09 My best today is not as good as my best will be next week or next year – but only if I show up today and do the thing
5:13 Your best is actually enough, and there is great relief in surrendering to the process rather than the final outcome because outcomes always shift and change and can be adjusted
6:00 We have an incredible capacity to push through fear and rely on a higher power or our own divine guidance if we allow ourselves to flow with events
6:46 Life never follows a straight line forward and it doesn’t go where we expect it to go a lot of the time
8:05 A pandemic year has confronted us with the major question of who we are and what do we want to be or do with the time we have?
9:00 Perfectionism shows up like a mental organizer that tells you how it has to look in order to even begin
10:04 We start with a feeling of what we want to create, and an idea of how we want to feel in doing it. This is what fuels us, not a step-by-step process we have to adhere to
10:53 If I start something and don’t know where it’s going, is that OK?
11:56 I judged myself harshly for not completing projects and abandoning them somewhere along the way
12:15 Using the old “I’ll tell everyone what I’m up to so I have accountability” trick to maintain motivation when it’s lacking
13:09 The meaning of what we create for others and the world is rarely what we think we are setting out to create – but it is always tied to the passion, heart, and love we have for the endeavor, no matter what that is
13:30 The dangers of looking for too much outside approval and how it distorts and changes the intention of what you truly wanted to do
15:50 Spending a year avoiding starting the thing I want to create thinking that someone else could direct me better to what would feel right
16:30 You don’t have to make it hard to start something new, but know that you probably will. If you notice this, though, you have the chance to make a choice towards ease
17:49 Don’t add the burden of thinking you have to please others or especially don’t add the burden of having to please hundreds or thousands of others with your actions
18:17 You have a profound impact on those around you, and it is enough. Stop believing that you need to be more or do more than you are, and instead allow yourself to be even MORE you and let it ripple out. It’s more natural and you’ll feel better
19:29 Don’t
Welcome to the full Spectrum Feeling Podcast. I'm your host, Blaze Schwaller, life coach and former tattoo artist. I help people heal their past, speak their truth to those they love, and learn how to feel ALL their emotions, so that they can live lives they love no matter what comes up. Join me here every week for conversations on how to live an imperfect but fully engaged life that embraces all the feels, so you can stretch into your best life while enjoying the you that's here now.