Stop Being Precious & Start Being Powerful
It’s been five years, five months, and 23 days since I picked up a camera and vowed to take at least one photo every single day. And I’m going to be perfectly honest: I freaking hate it! At least 30% of the time. Maybe more.
You see, I was raised to be a perfectionist. To produce ridiculously high quality everything. Some of you may remember the story about how I refused to talk actual words in front of living creatures until I could speak in eloquently flowing paragraphs.
I was 1.
And yes, it’s a true story. That’s how ingrained this precious bullshit is within me.
But I have somehow managed to rewire decades of faulty programming...at least when it comes to my photography. And I’m hoping I’m making progress here on Steemit, too.
I’ve managed to convince about a dozen of my friends to join Steemit. Some of them are insanely successful in life, as artists, with so many other things. But none of them are getting over the precious thing here. And that makes me sad.
I don’t want to be that way. And so, in that spirit, I come to the long awaited point of today’s post:
I took one photograph today. Just one. It’s not great. Not really even good. I did a little editing because...well, who am I, Mother Teresa? I need a little bit of pride, an ounce of vanity.
I could dig into my archives. I could wow you all with some of my amazing work. I’m not falsely modest; I have a lot of good shit.
But I won’t. I’m not. Today, you get my raw, crappy, unprecious effort of the day. I hope it inspires other recovering perfectionists to get over themselves and just DO the work.
Wow, your words are truly inspiring. I consider myself as another freaking perfectionist. And as you know, we don't actually Do anything until we're 150% sure about it. At some point it might be helpful, but dang it. how frustrating it can be sometimes! So you know what? You're right. Let's just DO and stop the overthinking.
Oh I know! I think you need to take a crappy cupcake photo and post it. STAT 😉
Hahaha you'll see, I'll post it soon and I'll let you know.
😄😬😉
Hey Lisa, that looks like the dessert from my beer post :P
Although I will never completely get over my perfectionism, I have somehow managed to become a bit less demanding towards myself :)
This is actually peanut butter and chocolate. But yes, your beer post drove me to it. I hope you’re happy with yourself. 😂
I don’t think we need to get over striving for quality and doing the best that we can. Those things separate us from the pack. But perfection...that’s not truly possible, is it? And for me at least, it’s crippling.
Less demanding is good. And just doing is awesome. And you absolutely do do.
(I said do do 🤪)
I am more than happy :P
😂
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I too am perfectionistic when it comes to me only. I am accepting of everyone else and a cheerleader for them. But for me? I expect nothing better than best even though I know perfection is not possible anyway.
I read through the comments and noted there a quite a few of us who belong to this "club". And noticed that we all try not to be perfectionists and in doing so we are being perfectionists.
We are trying to be perfectly unperfect.
In my mind I try to be excellent and fool myself into thinking this is different than perfection. It is in definition but really, I am still trying too hard.
I want that cupcake!!
😂 I think you NEED that cupcake.
BTW, I had a peanut butter milkshake last week. It was spur of the moment and late...or I’d totally have Steemed it. I guess I’ll need to make another one so that I can. Rats! 🤪
I will be watching for it. I love smoothies...aka milkshakes :)
Well, I am quite the opposite. I am a mess in all aspects of my life. And I want to emphasize the fact that no, it isn't fun. Not at least when your wife says that the lightbulb from the bathroom is broken since 2 weeks. :)
In between is always the sweet spot. But how do we fight our emotional / genetical make-up?
Hmmm...interesting perspective. I don’t see perfectionism as the opposite of procrastination or negligence or being “a mess” 😄 In fact, they both often overlap and produce the same results. Or possibly more specifically, I am talking about a cause and you are describing an effect. So I guess first I’d ask you why you do - or don’t do - what you do?
I also see these as habits. Nurture more than nature. So IMO, DOing is the remedy in both instances.
Balance, middle ground, harmony...all good things. I agree. But the older I get, the more I realize that you cannot find them, you gotta create them.
Nice story...
Thanks!
Wow very nice. story life philosophy photography blog ...post..I voted and followed and shared......@steemitraj
🤔
All right, step by step!
Nietzsche would be proud of you:)