First and foremost, I’m a perfectionist (in recovery). This is something I’ll write more about in future posts, as it’s a huge and important part of my life. I spent the majority of my life not actually knowing that I’m a perfectionist (although I think everyone who knew me realised). I was diagnosed around 4 years ago. I call it a diagnosis as it came as a massive shock to me, and it took me some time to accept and understand it. It has also taken time, research, and a lot of work to get to a stage where I consider myself as being in recovery. There is no cure. But perfectionism can be managed, and you can learn to use it to your advantage.
I’m very left-brained. I tend to analyse most things. I’m rarely late and not much gets done without first being on a list. But my level of compassion and empathy is growing. As I learn more about myself and how my mind works, I respect that others also have reasons for behaving the way they do.
I’m a massive believer in creating your own happiness through gratitude, and of steering your life in the direction you want it to go – even if it takes time and effort to get there. I’m a lifelong learner. I love passing on what I’ve learnt and encouraging others to live with purpose.
I’ve wanted to start a blog for a long time. I love to write. It’s how I express myself best. I’m an introvert, and a real reflector – after taking in new information I need time to absorb it and to turn it over in my mind. And when I’m ready to ‘talk’ about what I’ve learnt or what I think, I like to take the time to do it through the written word.
But for a perfectionist, starting something new is hard. I have incredibly high standards for myself, and the thought of creating my website and publishing my writing and my thoughts has left me paralysed with fear the many times I’ve tried to do it. I just want to put stuff out there that I’m proud of. It may seem strange, but I’m not worried about what others think of me. I just feel I have to get everything ‘right’ for my own pride.
So here I am, finally. The thing that has made me push through my fear is my desire to help others who may be experiencing similar things to me. When I first discovered I was a perfectionist and realised the negative impact it was having on my life, I did a lot of reading and research but I found very few people whose stories resonated with me. I’ve been on a HUGE personal development journey over the last few years – I’m really hoping that by sharing what I’ve learnt I might be able to help others.
Thanks for visiting, and feel free to leave comments and suggestions as I find my feet here! You can also subscribe to my newsletter, like my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter and Instagram so you don’t miss a thing.