by Vincent van Gogh
Thanks to a Friend for sending us this beautiful art
~*~
When we get caught in the myth of perfectionism, we see our faults as glaring and horrible reminders that we are not as we should be, that we have failed and are indeed ourselves failures. This point of view doesn't leave much room for humility, forgiveness, love, acceptance, or growth. In short, this view is pretty self-destructive. Our imperfections are not the problem; our attitude toward them is. This negative attitude toward the reality of imperfection is fertile ground for self-hate and negativism toward others.
~Anne Wilson Schaef
~*~
The pursuit of perfection has become a major addiction of our time. Fortunately, perfection is learned. No one is born a perfectionist, which is why it is possible to recover. I am a recovering perfectionist. Before I began recovering, I experienced that I and everyone else was always falling short, that who we were and what we did was never quite good enough. I sat in judgment on life itself. Perfectionism is the belief that life is broken. . . .
Few perfectionists can tell the difference between love and approval. Perfectionism is so widespread in this culture that we actually have had to invent another word for love. "Unconditional love," we say. Yet, all love is unconditional. Anything else is just approval.
~Rachel Naomi Remen