Creative Life: Perfectionism

I came across this quote from Anne Lamott in her book, Bird by Bird, on the topic of perfectionism.  (Bird by Bird is a wonderful book if you have not yet read it).

“…Oh my God, what if you wake up some day, and you’re 65, or 75, and you never got your memoir or novel written; or you didn’t go swimming in warm pools and oceans all those years because your thighs were jiggly and you had a nice big comfortable tummy; or you were just so strung out on perfectionism and people-pleasing that you forgot to have a big juicy creative life, of imagination and radical silliness and staring off into space like when you were a kid?  It’s going to break your heart.  Don’t let this happen.  Repent just means to change direction—and NOT to be said by someone who is waggling their forefinger at you.  Repentance is a blessing.  Pick a new direction, one you wouldn’t mind ending up at, and aim for that.  Shoot for the moon.”

Things quote rings so true — it is better to shoot for the moon and pursue something that you are passionate about and make a lot of mistakes along the way rather than wonder “what if” and having regret.  In the big scheme of things, it does not matter what others think — so don’t be afraid to follow your true path and, most of all, always be true to yourself.

Happy Tuesday!