Intentionality and the Best Laid Plans...3 Intentional Questions to Overcome Perfectionism and Stress Less

How are you doing after your first week of 2024? That's not a loaded question, as I admit to being all over the place.

At the risk of using a word I strive to eliminate from my vocabulary as much as possible, I've felt like I should be in the midst of accomplishing several things at this point. Should invokes perfectionism, and perfection is unachievable.

Things like a certain level of progress on projects, a schedule with some semblance of a routine, the base level of movement and quiet time I want to achieve, trying new recipes.

The best laid plans...

But life has thrown some things my way that have interfered with those plans. Yet, I'm not in panic mode and not super stressed. A younger version of myself would NOT recognize this person. This is a fairly new development over the past few years, and I attribute it, in large part, to the word of the year challenge I accepted many years ago.

Each year, someone asks me what word I've chosen as my word of the year. It remains the same, and not out of laziness or lack of thought. As a matter of fact, I think of this word a lot each new year, and throughout the year. It's a word I think of when the should's of perfectionism try to creep in.

Intentionality.

When applied to whatever situation or circumstance I find myself in, I ask myself if I'm being intentional. I encourage you to do the same and see the difference it makes.

1. Am I being intentional with my values?

2. Am I being intentional with my goals?

3. Am I being intentional with myself?

So, let's make a pact together, to let go of the perfectionistic should's, intentionally set our values in front of us as a filter for our decisions, and continue to smash those goals, one small, sustainable chunk at a time. Each small decision builds upon the other, allowing us to continue with the momentum even during the more difficult seasons of life. Before you know it, momentum kicks in and you'll be grateful you chose to keep moving forward, no matter how small the snowball started.

And your mental health will thank you.

What are some small, yet intentional ways you can embrace this mindset of progress over perfectionism?