Tuning in to Inner Peace: The Surprisingly Fun Way to Transform Your Life Read Online Free PDF Page A

yourself and loved ones.
              Gratitude
    Can you see the silver lining of the thing you are worrying about? There is always one! Find it and be thankful for it.
              Releasing fears
    What are some things you used to be afraid of, that you aren’t afraid of now? How did you move beyond those fears? Ask your friends for strategies too. Develop a toolbox of fear-busting affirmations and exercises.
     
     
     
     
     
     

 
     
     
     
     

     

9 Perfectionism: The Party Pooper You Can Stop Inviting
     
    Of all the bad habits you can pick up, perfectionism has very little to show for itself on the upside.
     
    Other bad habits at least let you enjoy your life, if briefly. If you’re lazy, you can sleep in. If you’re going for a big drinking fest, you can enjoy the beer or the feeling of escape for awhile.
     
    But perfectionism never gives you a break. It won’t let you rest when you do your best, and even worse, pesters you to give up on your dreams before you’ve even tried.
     
    No matter how well you’ve done, there’s still a reason for a good beating. The perfectionist keeps hounding you to go, go faster, try harder to attain perfection. Like a dog chasing tail, you’re trying to achieve an unattainable goal.
     
    Beating Ourselves Up
    The perfectionist critic has a constant supply of new material to hound us with. Because, nobody’s perfect!
     
    Perfectionism finds something to berate in the normal activities of a day. When we make a mistake, forget to make a phone call, or send out an email with an error, we feel stupid, terrible, and are likely to beat ourselves up.
     
    Beating ourselves up…what a strange way to live!
     
    Speaking a s you would never dare speak to a friend or, even enemy, the internal rants begin. “You stupid idiot!” “I can’t believe you did that!”…and on and on. Even for the smallest mistakes, the perfectionist critic is blasting away.
     
    But even in areas where you have worked diligently and achieved a level of skill and success, perfectionism can ruin the best of moments.
              Compose a ballad. It could have been better.
              Win an award. Sure, but now you’re going to need to work harder for district competition, then state, then national.
              Anything less than number one is a failure, and even number one is temporary so there’s no time to rest.
     
    Perfectionism is the party pooper we keep inviting. It’s  the uncle that farts during the toast at an otherwise-perfect wedding.
     
    Obstacle to a Dream: Demanding Guaranteed Success
    But possibly even worse than hounding you for what you have done, perfectionism can convince you to give up on your dreams.
     
    Instead of encouraging you with a “Life is meant to be enjoyed! Go for it! Try it!,” kind of support, perfectionism dumps a bucket of water on the sparks of creativity and passion that might just be connecting you to your purpose for living.
     
    You’re not talented enough, smart enough, rich enough. You’ll never make it. Do you have any idea how unlikely it is that you’d actually be able to do that? You’ll just be wasting time and money. Just give up and take the sure thing.
     
    But dreams come true only for those that take the chance.
     
    Lady Gaga, at age 25, is a familiar and beloved pop musician with fans all over the world. She wrote her first song at age 13, performed singing at open mic shows and with her church, and studied music in college. She released her first album in 2008, at age 22, and the album reached number one on the record charts of six countries. This kind of thing still happens! It’s not all about the politics of the music business. At the core of this story, is a woman who did not cosign on her inner critic or any critic.
     
    If a girl born as Stefani Germanotta, had required guaranteed success before making an album, Lady Gaga would not now be an international household name. She