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How Do I Achieve Balance? The Day I Gave Up Perfectionism.


Hi, my name is Courtney and I am a recovering perfectionist. 

I just erased and re-typed the above sentence 5 times so maybe “recovering” perfectionist is a little ambitious. However, after seeking “help” and reading and researching balance, I am doing better, I swear! Before I would have erased that sentence 30 times before throwing my hands up, saying “oh forget it”. 

There are things I have to remind myself of from time to time. Actually these 5 things I repeat daily:


1. Routine. Routine. Routine. PLAN B! 

I, like most, thrive on routine. When my routine is in full swing, I am untouchable. 

As we all know, you can plan and plan the perfect routine then life throws you a curveball…sickness, injury, relationships etc. 

Don’t get me wrong, routine is very, very important, but even more important than routine is the ability to stay on your toes. Be ready for anything. 

This happens with my and probably your workouts about once a week. You schedule your workout for noon. Clothes ready etc. then something pops up and you don’t get that hour of “me” time. So you only get a 20 minute workout versus an hour, always remember anything is better than nothing. 

Plan B might not be perfect, but some days its more about surviving 😉


2. Comparison

Trying to “keep up with the Joneses” is real! I admit it, I found myself on social media in astonishment as some of my friends whipped up this amazing dinner for their kids. This is of course after serving my daughter chicken nuggets for the 4th night in a row. 

Don’t compare your life to someone’s highlight reel. I am sure their kids had pizza 2 nights in a row at one time or another. And I am going to let you in on a little secret…no one, I mean no one has it all together all of the time. 


3. Lessons vs Failures

A few years back while building my business, my mentor told me to think of my “failures” each day as lessons. Messing up is a good thing! As long as you take something away from it. Each day I try to reflect on my “lessons learned” from the day. 

I will never be perfect, but I do hope to learn from previous mistakes. 

 
“Everybody fails. It’s an inevitable part of life. You won’t succeed at everything you try. And, if you’re currently operating with that assumption, I hate to tell you that you’ll soon end up sorely disappointed.
However, miserably failing at something quickly reminds you that you can’t let a few stumbles (or even full-blown wipeouts) completely stop you in your tracks. Instead, you need to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and keep pushing forward” – Kate Boogaard, themuse


4. You can’t pour from an empty cup

When I take care of myself, I am calmer, more focused and hands down a better mother, trainer, friend & daughter. Sometimes I feel bad when I have to work or squeeze in a workout, but I know these things make me happy.

Do not be afraid to put yourself first! 

5. Take Control…

…of what you can actually control. 

If I could tattoo any motto or phrase {without my mom knowing of course}, it would be this. There are plenty of things we cannot control, but before you get overwhelmed, take the deepest breath and remember what you can control. 

Saying I am a recovering perfectionist is pretty darn close to saying I am a recovering control freak {To those who know me, I see that eye roll. I am doing better!}. 

Ok, ok, I’ll go ahead and admit it, I like things a certain way. I know it’s also important to let things go. Else has helped me tremendously.