I totally agree with everything you said!! Perfectionism is what messes up so many of us. Sometimes it is hard to see it as being perfectionistic when you didn't even start to begin with. I would often say "How can I be a perfectionist when I have not done one thing?" But so many things I will not even start b/c I know I won't accomplish it perfectly. Now I'm giving myself permission to "plod along" as you say. The scale tells me something I don't want to hear then I don't give up. I plod along. And you know what...it works?? It doesn't have to be perfect. Sometimes life is not a straight shot. It's a roller coaster. I think you have stumbled on something here!! Great post!

Years ago I read a book about this.Cant remember the books name but it is something like "The defeated perfectionist".I didnt believe it then,I sure do now!

So,I m learning to be a plodder too!

On a completely non-philosophical note, when I got the chance to go to college I was terrified of math. I had avoided it in highschool (took "Business Math"). I found an old book titled "Math Without Fear" and it walked me step by excruciating step through very simple math concepts and it even helped me really understand what algebra was all about. It gave me enough confidence in my abilities to tackle college level algebra, statistics, technical math, and even accounting (what a horrible 2 semesters THAT was !). I don't know if it's still in print but it is a great investment if you can find it. Good luck !

Hi

Thanks.Im going to search for this book.I need something to do this "without fear".My kids find this very funny ( 20 year old second year uni and 11 year old)

Check out www.khanacademy.org . You can pick any subject and start as basic as you need. It definitely is less traumatic for me than trying to have my kids explain anything! And of course it's online so it's there whenever you feel like checking something out. Good luck!