Just Do It: It Doesn’t Have to be Perfect - Part 2 (episode 299-2)
Growing up she kept her mouth shut and tried to be ‘good enough’.
Sue Krogh started out as a people-pleaser, following society’s advice, she tried to stay in the mold of what was expected but somewhere along the way she started listening to herself instead. Slowly, through time, awareness and diligence, Sue realized she is of worth, and she has value because she now fully accepts her humanity. All of it.
Realizing she will never be completely satisfied, she sees that things will never be perfect so why make that the goal. Something is always left undone and for Sue, that has made all the difference in empowering her to show up in her own life accepting it all.
Sue is our guest this week for Permission to Want More: What’s Next and What’s Left. This is part two of our conversation.
You can find Sue on Instagram at suecrowcoaching.
Perchance, a favorite word. Moist, a word she hates.
— Sue Krogh
It’s All in How You Look at It
Thoughts from Just Do It: It Doesn’t Have to be Perfect - Part 2
I had a couple of takeaways (or reminders) from my conversation with Sue. First up, since things will never be perfect, you do not ever need to make that a goal. Next up, there will always be something left undone.
Sue and I both belong to a book club that meets outside of our coach training. We have read Loving What Is by Byron Katie (the four questions that can change your life), and The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga (a Socratic dialogue regarding Adlerian psychology. See this blog for a summary of the latter.
And now at my urging we will be reading The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown. I recently read it and am looking forward to reading it again because yes, it’s that good.
I know I am a perfectionist. I thought I had slowed down my roll on that tendency but I am aware it will be a lifelong challenge. Now I prefer the word challenge over problem. A problem is something to be solved and I am realistic enough to know this is a part of me, something that will be with me until my final breath. So why not embrace this about myself, find some tools and strategies to help, and move forward knowing yep, this is partly how I show up. Now these strategies can dial it back, and that’s a good thing. Do I have to get rid of it completely? No.
Let me show you what I mean.
problem - any situation, question, or obstacle that causes difficulty, stress, or doubt and requires a resolution. It represents a gap between where you currently are and where you want to be.
challenge - any task, problem, or situation that puts your abilities to the test. Rather than just a negative obstacle, the true meaning often implies an opportunity—something new and difficult that requires effort, determination, and growth to overcome.
Do you see how their very definitions make all the difference between approaching something that is stressful vs. approaching something that is viewed as an opportunity? (It’s like the blog from a couple of weeks ago, Something Better than Worry, that differentiated between worry and concern.)
Word choice matters. How you view something matters. What you say to yourself matters. Why not choose words (and thoughts) that are kinder, more positive, and view you as a work in progress. Makes sense to me.
There will be more blogs like this one. I think of them as the “vs.” or “this or that?” because which one you choose will make a difference, a big one, in your life. It has in mine. Challenge or problem? You get to pick. What’s it going to be?
Challenge is opportunity to grow
— Don’t miss it
