Do you make things harder?
A month ago, I decided to write this weekly series which I called A Peek Into Our Allergy Friendly Life. The goals of this little writing project are quite simple.
One, to give you a glimpse of what is it like in our home. From a small victory of finding a new food allergy friendly product that the kids actually enjoyed to how we deal with some emotional struggles brought about by this rather unique lifestyle.
Two, to make writing a bit easier for me. There are so many things about food allergies, asthma and eczema that I want to share. From recipes, to new products, to stories… the good, the bad and the ugly, this weekly post helps me prioritize which topics to deal with first. In case you missed the posts, here’s Part 1 and Part 2.
Reality Check
Well, it has been five weeks since I’ve launched the series. Ideally, this should also be the fifth post, right? However, here I am struggling to finish this third post.
Did we hide under a rock for weeks and do nothing? Nope! On the contrary, there were so many things that happened – GFAF Expo, new recipes, new products I seen and tried from the Expo East, new activities, dining table talks and the list goes on. Happenings I’m so eager to share that ended up as one paragraph drafts.
Did I lack the writing skills? I don’t think so. In fact, I believe it is one of my strengths. I mean, I’ve written and published articles since I was in fourth grade. Plus, I am always happy sharing stories.
Did I have enough time to write? I think I do have two to three hours of quiet time each day which I can and had dedicated to writing.
If the odds seem to be on my side, what keeps me from producing?
My really honest answer is Perfection Paralysis! Yes, there is such a term. Basically, I’m afraid of starting a task because I fear that the final product will not be turn out you guessed it, PERFECT.
It wasn’t always liked that. In my earlier blogging days I published at least three or four posts a week. I even had a toddler home with me. Plus, I was re-learning how to bake, cook and shop.
After some years of practice, it should become easier right? Nope! Because along the way, I started to make things complicated. I begin to worry whether my pictures are good enough, whether the people who are reading will agree with me, whether I will stir up a controversy in the community, whether the post will be SEO friendly, whether…. The list goes on….
Not only did this fear affected my work, it also made me feel suffocated. The weirdest part is that I’m restricting my own thoughts in my own space. All for what?
This photo of the boys at the GFAFExpo reminded me of a saying from Confusius which is “Life is really simple but we insist of making it complicated.” They were just enjoying the moment and they are not afraid to be silly.
Do you also make things harder than it should? Does your desire to make things perfect prevents you from trying or doing what you love?
Maybe it’s time to go back to the basics – one step at a time.
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Oh, I love the quote from Margaret Atwood, and boy, does it ring true! Good luck in getting on track.
Thank you. I really need to get on track. Any tips?
I can’t tell you how many times I used to hold myself back because of fear of perfection! I have learned that living that way, wasn’t productive but it took time.
It is so true that our desire to do things perfectly can actually prevent us from doing them at all! Not cool. It is so important that we get over the fear. Thank you for sharing.
I almost always make things harder than they need to be. My desire for perfection has kept me from going for what I love.
I love this quote: “Life is really simple but we insist of making it complicated.” We do tend to make things more complicated than necessary. Sometimes you just have to hit publish!
I am a keep it simple kind of person, to be honest. The more low key life is and simple , the happier and less anxious I am. I take joy in the chaos and crazy moments – I sort of had to in order to be a good parent to the type of kids I have 🙂
I am for sure a perfectionist so I suffer from that a lot. Such a great read!
I can definitely understand the “perfection paralysis”. It’s hard to work through that and it can be so frustrating!