Marian Buck Murray

EFT and Matrix Reimprinting for Sensitive, Empathic, Creative People. Step out of the shadows and share your gifts and talents.

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Let Go of Perfectionism

March 23, 2017 by Marian Buck-Murray 2 Comments

If you wait for perfect you will never get anything done - words of wisdom on a vintage slate blackboard

According to author Anne Lamott:   Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor.

What does perfectionism do to you?  Does is stop you from putting yourself out there?  Does it stop you from finishing creative projects?  Does it make you feel like you’ll never be good enough?  Does it work you too hard?  Or does it make you want to give up and not even try?

I know all about perfectionism.  Lately, I’ve been recording videos for a couple of multi-media projects…and it’s taken me a lot longer (much) than I expected. One reason, is that when I started, I kept trying to get it perfect.   All of it.  The sound, the shot, my appearance, my vocal intonation, and on and on.  But alas, between the tech issues, and my mistakes, it was far from perfect.  I realized it would never BE perfect.  And, I was driving myself crazy trying.    

So I relaxed.  And I took my own advice.  I began welcoming the glitches.  Learning from each one.  And I enjoyed feeling my creative flow, untethered by the constrictions of perfection.  

Once I relaxed into the imperfection of the process, everything got easier.  I felt more productive, finding solutions that I never would have found if I had stayed in the vicious do-over cycle.  And I finally finished my most important video, and it’s not perfect.  But it’s finished and it’s perfect for me at this time.

So many of my clients tell me how perfectionism is truly the voice of the oppressor, just as Anne Lammott said.

It holds them back, forcing them to hide their work for fear that it’s not perfect.

Makes them do far more work than is necessary

Stresses them out.

Keeps them on edge.

Fills them with resentment when they see others doing what they wish they could do.

Prevents them from enjoying their work.

Keeps them pretending they are who they’re not.

Blocks intimacy

And on and on.  It’s time to let it go.  Here are some suggestions:

Notice what it’s doing to you. Observe yourself within a situation where you’re attempting perfection.  Notice how you feel. Notice what you do to attain ‘perfection’.  Notice what goes wrong when you try.  Observe, and ask yourself if this pursuit of perfection is truly how you want to spend your time and energy.

 Get clear on your personal best possible outcome. Often, we reach for someone else’s vision of perfection.  Certainly, it’s beneficial to learn from others as we improve our skills, however, it can be easy to create unreasonable expectations based on someone else’s results.  When we don’t meet these expectations it can lead us to give up, or put undue pressure on ourselves to perform.  You can always, always, do your best.  Accept your current abilities and do the best with what you have.  Create your vision of your best possible outcome with what you have right now.

Redefine what perfection means to you. Each mistake and misstep has the potential to teach you something new. When you accept your mistakes with compassion, and humor, it opens the door to perfect solutions.  Acceptance leads to relaxation, which makes it easier to get things done. Help yourself see imperfections as perfect for what you need to learn and accept about yourself.

 Notice the beauty within imperfection.  Go examine the design of the wood grain in a hard wood floor.  Observe the bark of the trunk of a big old tree.  Handle a piece of hand-thrown pottery. Notice how beauty unfolds from even from chaos.  Leonard Cohen expressed this beautifully with these words:

Ring the bells that can ring.
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything.
That’s how the light gets in.

Use EFT Tapping. EFT works to help clear perfection’s oppressive shell, and the underlying feelings of stress, anxiety, and self doubt.   I’m currently finalizing the Tap Into Courage Toolkit for Entrepreneurs, Solopreneurs, and Creatives. It’s designed to help clear the most common blocks to success.  One of the modules is all about Perfectionism, since it can be one of the biggest blocks.  If you’d like a free trial of the Perfectionism module once it’s available, contact me.

Truly, letting go of perfectionism is one of the most liberating,  joyful things you can ever do for yourself.

In Blissful Imperfection,

Marian

To apply for a free 30-Minute Unleash Your Creative Genius Call, click here.

Filed Under: EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques), Uncategorized Tagged With: Acceptance, Anne Lammott, Beauty of Imperfection, EFT tapping, Getting things done, Leonard Cohen, perfection stress, Perfectionism

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THANK YOU.  I'm sure you must hear testimonials all the time, but just your presence, voice and spirit make a huge difference in the way I think and do things - and I change! It's really a miracle, and you are the catalyst. Your guidance is invaluable.

~D.G.

Our session was incredible. I’m still in absolute awe at how quickly you led me to the core issues that were tangling me up. So often I would feel the impact of the inner critical voice on my emotions (I’d FEEL depressed, overwhelmed, stuck, anxious)…but I never knew what the core limiting beliefs exactly were. That you exposed them so effortlessly amazes me. I’m blown away by how good I feel – truly it is like I’m breathing deeper, feeling lighter, clearer– an everyday-kind-of joy just feels so much more accessible right now. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your work- I can’t wait to continue further with you!

 ~ Lisa Grace Byrne, MPH  Author of Replenish, Founder of WellGroundedLife.com

Thank you so much, Marian!  I have held such appreciation in my heart for you and for the powerful work you have done with me.  I want to come see you for some more matrix reimprinting and EFT.  The more I expand the more I see. And I see more opportunities to release old ways and adopt new patterns that will serve my fullest expression of my soul's journey.

Leslie Goldman, Fine Artist www.wildcherryart.com

 

Thank you for agreeing to speak at NAO Wellness! I loved hearing your story, it’s so captivating and inspiring.  The feedback from the workshop was amazing – participants said it was transformative, that the energy in the room completely shifted, and more. I was truly blown away, I’m still feeling all the good vibes. You are such a gift.

~ Nikki Ostrower, Founder and Principal Nutritionist at NAO Wellness.

I started working with Marian over four years ago when I was experiencing recurrent miscarriages. It was an extremely vulnerable and traumatic time and I was lucky to find Marian through a friend’s recommendation. I had never done anything besides talk therapy previously and I was unfamiliar with EFT but I knew I needed something different. Marian educated me about EFT and its benefits. She tailored each session to my unique needs depending on what was going on for me emotionally and also used visualizations and breathwork. These are skills that I  also used on my own outside of our sessions. Marian is extremely skilled, grounding, empathetic and insightful. Even when I didn’t know what I needed, she listened and intuitively knew what to do. Her guidance helped me heal and move forward in my quest to be a mother. Our work together has truly been transformative for me and I continue to value our work now that I’m a new mother and am faced with new challenges.

~Susanna

We have been honored to have Marian’s presence at our Company to learn more about stress reducing techniques like tapping and heart breath meditations.  Marian empowered many employees to utilize such an accessible technique to help manage emotions in the corporate setting.

~Zena Kim, Head of Wellness Passion Group, A+E Networks

Thank you so much for the session yesterday. It’s so freeing to feel grounded and energetically unblocked at the same time. You’ve been such an incredible guide and support this past year. I’m astounded by how much I’ve learned and how far I’ve come.

~Diana F.

The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with nature.

Joseph Campbell
Certified EFT Practitioner

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