Nobody's Perfect

At the very least, I was perfect at accessorizing. 

When I was in third grade, I got a check on my report card for talking too much and I was absolutely devastated.  There were tears and temper tantrums and threats to quit school, which really would have been an excellent stepping stone to a successful adulthood. 

My mom tried to reassure me.  "Taryn, it's okay.  Everybody makes mistakes.  Nobody is perfect."

I looked at her, tears still welled up in my eyes.  "I'M perfect," I said with complete conviction.

Perfectionism has been a problem for me since that day.  If I can't be the absolute best at something or do something 100% perfectly gung-ho, I don't do it at all.  In high school I worked my butt of at English because I was good at it and when I realized I was never going to be a mathlete, I happily cruised by in Math.  First or last, all or nothing, that's just the way it goes with me.

Weight loss for me is the same story.  I'll either track calories like I'm working for NASA, exercise more often than Michael Phelps and drink gallons and gallons of water or I'll sit on the couch and feel bad about myself.  Moderation is not in my vocabulary and I know that it's one of my biggest faults.

One of my best friends goes to the gym every day.  Some days he doesn't even work out and will go to the gym just to sit in the hot tub.  For him, it's more important to be in the routine than to actually do the workout.

This just blows my mind.  Why go to the gym and sit in a hot tub?  Why go and only work out for ten minutes?  If I'm there, I'll wear a heart rate moniter and put the resistance way up and work out for an hour.  Anything else is a waste of time.  If I can't do it 100%, why bother? 

This, my friends, is the kind of thinking that got me in trouble.  I need to throw away this "Oh well, screw it, I may as well eat a pizza and start over tomorrow" type of thinking and just try to have more good days than bad days.  This journey is not a sprint, and I have to remember that.

In fact, maybe I'll head to the gym right now and just sit in the hot tub.  After all, relaxing is something I do pretty much perfectly!