Step 1: Embrace your Imperfections

"It is more useful to be aware of a single weakness in oneself than to be aware of a thousand weaknesses in someone else." Dalai Lama

Sonya starts with a really simple description of simple living, describing it as "a healthy mix of activities that will help us keep our sanity in the busy modern world." I'm a prime example of a person who needs to do this.

Rather than talking about perfectionism, which Sonya focuses on, I'd like to talk about my inability to say 'no'. That's why I am usually in a rush to get to 'the next thing'. I've heard this referred to as fomo (fear of missing out) in children, and I think I'm an adult sufferer. I usually end up at all of the things I wanted,  but chances are I'm already thinking about what time I have to leave to get to the next thing so that I'm not late, another failing of mine.

I took a big step at the end of last year by not volunteering with my Robotics Team Where's Waldo this year. It was a very hard decision, but one that I am still very happy with. Everyone asked what I would do with my time (it is a very time intensive program, but one that I would recommend to anyone because it is also amazingly rewarding), and in truth, I worked a little more, but I also relaxed a little more. I spent time with my friends and family rather than agonizing over losing a potential sponsor, staying on schedule or an awards submission. I will likely continue to volunteer with FIRST, but a year off has given me the energy I had when I first started. A

One of the many effects of this is that my house is usually quite untidy. Now that I am trying to slow down, I spend a few minutes tidying up as I finish something, rather than rushing off to my next appointment. I'm also slowly going through my 'stuff' and getting rid of the items that I don't need or use, which means less 'stuff' to tidy! My wardrobe is smaller, but contains more items that look nice on me, and fit well. And there's still lots of work to be done.

One goal of this challenge is to celebrate accomplishments, so here's a small one: Last week, I was ready to leave at least 20 minutes before I had to, so I got in my car and drove the speed limit the whole way to where I was going. It was surprisingly refreshing! I stayed in the right lane (for the most part) and let everyone else pass me. My road rage (which R makes fun of me for) was non-existant, and I wasn't stressed at all. And I arrived to my event on time!

As some interesting background, when I was about 4, my mom and I arrived early to my gymnastics class. My mom thought the class started 30 minutes early, so truthfully we were probably at least 5 minutes late if the class had started at that time. My mom exclaimed "oh my word, we're early" to which I replied "What does early mean?" Being early does not run in my family!  (love you mom!)