Perfectionist? Ask Yourself This Question

I didn’t have the smoothest week.

It started on Wednesday when I dashed out of the house wearing one black glove and one red. A quirky mix-and-match moment I could hide by simply taking them off.

But as the sun came up, things took a more embarrassing turn:I realized I’d also worn one black shoe… and one brown.

For someone who uses color in her career, even I wasn't sure there was a palette fix for that.

The answer? Probably not.So I marched into my day, mismatched shoes and all.

Then Thursday came.

I walked in the door to a chilly 55-degree house.The furnace had decided to begin its winter hibernation early.

I moved to load the dishwasher, only to discover it had given up too. I pushed the button. Nothing.

As the temperature dropped and dishes stacked up in the sink, I asked my husband Larry,“Should we cancel the birthday celebration on Sunday?”

“The party is three days away,” he said. “We’ll get someone here tomorrow. And honestly, the dishwasher is so old it’s probably cheaper to replace it.”

Which translated to:I would be handwashing dishes for ten people on Sunday.

But even then, my attitude didn’t crumble.Because I pulled out the same question:

“Will this matter in five years?”

Probably not.

The truth is, my home will always be a work-in-progress.

Some weeks the windows are streaked, the oven is in desperate need of a scrub, and the laundry decides it has better places to be than the hamper.

But even in the chaos, our home holds family, stories, and laughter.

And laughter, I’ve learned, softens the sharp edges of imperfection.

But my attitude didn't falter because

Perfectionist? Ask this question:

How important would this “tragedy” be in five years?

Even my photographs aren’t perfect. Who can get everyone to sit still at the same time, anyways?

If you ever feel your chest tighten, your vision blur with overwhelm, or your stress level rising like a thermometer in a broken furnace… stop.

Breathe.

Ask yourself:“Will this matter in five years?”

Let your answer settle you. Give yourself room to be human.

And remember a motto from one of my favorite books, The Nesting Place by Myquillin Smith:

“Life doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.”

Click this link to read more.

Blogger Author, Myquillyn Smith

P.S. Want to know the #1 Reason to Avoid the Perfect Color Match? Click here to read more!