Trading Perfection for Serenity

This week's post, Trading Daily Quiet Time Guilt for Pots & Pans somehow posted last week.  Now normally this would cause me to scurry to find a way to fix it or beat myself up for it happening at all.  

Is it it even a big deal?  No.  But my internal critic doesn't differentiate.

However, I surprised myself.  After an initial, "Oh, that's not what I wanted to happen," I let it be.  Hallelujah!  I think that response deserves it's own post. 

I'm in the midst of trading perfection for serenity.  Small step by small step.  One day at a time.

There's a little phrase in the extended well-known Serenity Prayer that I spent a lot of time with last year at the suggestion of my spiritual director who noticed my constant pursuit (and exhaustion) of doing/being better.  See, my internal critics (or rather my whole family of internal critics) think they're helping me by constantly bombarding my mind with their own version of the Lowe's motto, "Never Stop Improving."  

Here's the thing: these critical parts want me to be happy.  So they tirelessly work to search, compare, and judge to find the perfect standard then work tirelessly to reach it.  They think that if/when I reach that standard, I'll be happy.  Here's the problem:  Perfection in this world isn't possible.  

Now being over forty and a spiritual director, you'd think I would've figured out by now how to give up the pursuit.  But just as it is in the life of those I work with in spirtiual direction, it continues to be a step-by-step, part-by-part journey of transformation for me as well.      

"How about being reasonably happy?" asked Sister Maria one morning last year, "Are you?"

I briefly thought before answering this Sister of Mercy, "Yes, I am!"  Both of us smiling she said, "Well how about trying that instead?  Read the extended Serenity Prayer," she counseled.  So I spent the better part of a year with it.

As I've prayerfully introduced the extended prayer and its whole "reasonably happy" idea, s-l-o-w-l-y my inner critics have started to give up their former jobs and trust that being "reasonably happy" is all that is needed (and expected).  So now whenever I'm upset about the way something has turned/is turning out and I'm in a perfectionistic snit, I say to myself, "It's not perfect but are you reasonably happy with it?" The answer has always been "yes" and the moment I surrender perfection, I immediately feel relaxed in body and mind.       

As a spiritual director I cannot help but invite people to befriend their humanity and extend grace to themselves during times of "failure," both large and small.  I watch and listen, just waiting with them to see how the Holy Spirit is working/will work in and through all the mess and imperfection for their good (as Saint Paul reminds us in Romans 8:28).

How grateful I am that my blog post didn't go as planned!  I was offered yet another reminder of serenity.  AND the bonus of an invitation to you. If you happen to see me flailing, drowning in perfectionism, don't hesitate to say these two words: "reasonably happy."  My inner critics and I will thank you.

• What is your relationship with perfection or expectation like?
• You might spend some time with the extended Serenity Prayer. Notice what part of it speaks to you at this time in life.  Then let it be soul food by feeding it to your mind & heart throughout the day.      

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