monday meditation – perfection

“I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God’s business.”

― Michael J. Fox

Bonjour et bienvenue to monday meditation – perfection. I just uploaded a trial of the Noom app and it has been pretty inspiring so far. I’ve mentioned before, I’ve gained the lbs. and I really want to get back to being the ideal me. I know all about nutrition and how and what to eat, that was what I studied in college, and have been studying ever since. It’s the psychology behind it that gets complicated. Noom is based on the psychological phenomena behind your diet, uses positive reinforcement, and holds you accountable by having you track your meals. They have a lot of motivational quotes, which obviously, I like.

perfect conditions

Yesterday Noom told me to read “You don’t have to be perfect in order to be successful” 10 times over. It went on to say being focused on being “perfect” prevents us from taking action or making progress. You can find this same idea in Ecclesiastes 11:4 , “Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap”. Waiting for perfect conditions will mean inactivity. So waiting until my furlough is over, or until I have a stress-free day, or waiting until tomorrow to stop drinking, isn’t going to cut it anymore.

excellence

On the Noom app I had to think of a Big Picture and also state an Ultimate Why that will really inspire me with my big picture or goal. My Ultimate Why is “Joie de Vivre”. It’s French, mais oui, it makes me think of the Parisian woman, who takes care of herself and her body, who savors life, who eats what she wants, all with discipline. “The price of excellence is discipline.” – William Arthur Ward. And because I love my motivational quotes, here are some more. “One glass of good wine is better than several shots of bad vodka” – Older, But Better, But Older. This is what I need to focus on. I’m not going to try and be perfect, not going to try to never drink again, but I am going to be discerning about what I drink. Also from Older, But Better: “These imperfections, which the teenage girl hates and the woman learns to cherish, reveal a true strength of character”. Discipline, excellence and imperfections help build true character, my true character.

I realize this has been one of my rambling posts, but it is all about what’s motivating me this week. My meditation monday – perfection, is in a way about learning from my imperfection. Yes, I will probably have that martini, just one, and I’ll savor it. I will also have my lemon juice, green tea, raw veggies for lunch, and a delicious salad for dinner. I’m not aiming for perfection, I’m aiming for joie de vivre.