990: Sneaky perfectionism
As we're going about building a life we love, perfectionism can be a sneaky old thing. Today we're diving into some of it's hiding places.
Episode transcript:
Good morning, Daily Peppers, and a very happy Monday. So I figured the beginning of the week It's a really good time to have a bit of a chat about perfectionism. Now I think being a perfectionist can be a bit misunderstood, because I am certainly a perfectionist and sometimes a recovering perfectionist, and I am definitely not somebody who keeps Things neat and tidy. I think there's this general stereotype around if you're a perfectionist, you tend to have A really clean home, you like to have everything in order. And for a lot of us, that simply isn't true. And the reason I'm bringing this up today is because I think perfectionism is really good at sneaking its way in and also going unnoticed. We've been talking here lately about building sustainable changes in our lives, and we're all thinking a lot about habits and routines. So I figured I'd pick a sample one to show you just how tricky perfectionism can be.
So let's say one of your goals right now or your intentions is to go for a daily walk. Now there are so many benefits to that from getting fresh air, to being out in nature, to doing good things for your health. And there are also a 1000000 ways your perfectionist can have a field day about it. I'm gonna go through just the ones that come to the top of my head. So you might be aiming to do a particular number of steps. You might feel like you can only start your walking journey once you've got a suitable pair of shoes or trainers. You might feel like you need to Spice up your walk and go somewhere different every day. Or you might feel like you have to have a solid routine and go for a walk at the same time every day.
You might be trying to pick the right podcast to walk to, or you might be trying to feed 2 birds of the same scone In that you've decided that this is gonna be your way of reading more books this year, you're actually gonna listen to some audiobooks, Or maybe you're gonna pair your walk with a really nutritious breakfast. Now none of these things on their own are bad. There are some wise decisions here, and I'm all about habit stacking. But I think it can also be a way of Let imperfectionism completely take over the show because certain things have to be in alignment or in order for you to go for your walk. Now just to be really clear here, I am saying this as somebody who has tried all of the above. And the part that I struggle with is that so much of it starts from a place of enthusiasm and feeling genuinely motivated. Now, obviously, we could be talking about any kind of habit or routine or practice we're trying to develop, but let's just stick for walking for a second. I could be really excited about listening to a certain audiobook.
I might genuinely have found a pair of trainers that I love. Or I might have set aside a couple of walks I really want to do. But that can be a sneaky way that perfectionism It's trying to keep us from doing the thing because the more variables you add, the more likely one might not work out. All of this is to say we are not aiming for the perfect walk. We are just aiming for a walk. It doesn't matter how long it is. It doesn't matter how much time it takes. It doesn't matter whether you've got the right trainers.
It doesn't matter whether you pick the right podcast. And it certainly doesn't matter if you do it at Same time every day and that you really vary your walks. The most important thing is doing the walk, and I would definitely say In the easiest way possible because that means it'll be much more likely to happen. And the reason I'm sharing this today It's just in case perfectionism has snuck its way into your plans and also just to remind you to do the damn thing imperfectly. And lastly, see if you can have a bit of a sense of humor about it rather than beating yourself up if perfectionism is getting in your way. Rather than giving yourself a hard time about it, see the humor in trying to plan the perfect walk in the 1st place. And whatever routine or system or practice or habit you're trying to develop, a bit like we did with walking, Have a think about how perfectionist tendencies could crop up, and just be aware of them because that's sometimes all that we need.
So I hope you have a fabulous start to your week. Happy Monday, my dears, and I can't wait to see you tomorrow.
Episode transcript produced by Castmagic.io
ABOUT THE DAILY PEP! PODCAST
New episodes launch 6am GMT, Monday through Friday
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women. If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you. Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines
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989: Let's counteract the BS
Whenever we’re making changes to our lives, big or small, we tend to be haunted by past attempts or failures. Today we’re setting the record straight.
ABOUT THE DAILY PEP!
New episodes air every Monday - Friday 6AM GMT
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women. If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you.
Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines
MORE REBEL-ROUSING THIS WAY!
988: What do you really want? (+ it's okay if you don't know!)
Today we're looking at the big picture and really going there about what we want. I'm also sharing a fun exercise/experiment to try out if you have no idea how to even start answering that question!
ABOUT THE DAILY PEP! PODCAST
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women.
If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you.
Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines
MORE REBEL-ROUSING THIS WAY!
987: Let's cosy up to curiosity
Today we're approaching goals and intentions from a different angle and diving into choosing questions rather than strict definitive statements!
Episode transcript!
Good morning Daily Peppers, and a very happy Wednesday to you.
It is officially hump day, And we're also in November. I mean, how the fuck did that happen? Before we dive into today's show, I wanna let you know that the 2024 Rebel Rousers Calendar is now available to preorder, and it is brighter and more colourful and sassier than ever. You'll recognise a lot of the quotes from the Daily Pep on there. And if you pretty much want the Daily Pep in a physical form, that is exactly what it is. You can have a sneak peek and get your copy by going to therebelrousers.com/2024calendar. And seeing the calendar on so many walls around the world last year has been a huge highlight of my year.
So back to today's show And the fact that we are even talking about a calendar in terms of where we are in the year, this time of the year is a right funny fucker. The nights are drawing in. It can feel even harder than normal to get motivated. But it can also feel like we have a massive amount of pressure to make this year count and to get shit done by the end of the year. And if we're gonna acknowledge that this time of the year is a funny fucker, we've got to acknowledge the fact that this year in general has been a funny fucker and not necessarily in a good way. We've all dealt with so many different flavours of shit. And the problem with this time of the year is that we tend to forget that. And we tend to forget the good stuff too. We forget all the things that we have done. We focus on what we haven't done, and we go back to doing what some of us do best, and that is beating ourselves up.
So let's just consider the rest of this year as bonus time. We have done shit. We have shown up for ourselves. We have shown up for other people, and we have tried our damn best. We often talk about courage in terms of going after things and doing the thing. But really, I think the most courageous thing that a lot of us could do right now is to lean into the season and in the areas where we have some control, just not keep pushing ourselves harder and harder and harder. If we're in bonus time, anything extra that we do get done is a plus, But it is also not necessary. We don't need to squeeze every last minute out of the year. And if you don't believe me that you've done a shitload this year, just scroll back through your calendar or look through your journal, and I guarantee you will find things that you've completely forgotten about that by this point probably feel like a lifetime ago.
So here's to remembering that sometimes the most rebellious thing that we can do is to not do something. Here's to taking it a bit more gentle where we can. And here's to remembering that our value lies in who we are, not what we do. And if you need reminders of that all the way through next year, be sure to check out the calendar. I would be honoured to have it hang on your wall, and you can grab the link for that in the show notes. See you tomorrow, and remember that Everything changes when you believe you matter.
ABOUT THE DAILY PEP! PODCAST
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women.
If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you.
Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines
MORE REBEL-ROUSING THIS WAY!
986: The easy way is the best way
It can be so easy to think that doing something the easy way makes us lazy, and I call BS! If you're making big changes in your life, this one is really important!
ABOUT THE DAILY PEP! PODCAST
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women.
If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you.
Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines
MORE REBEL-ROUSING THIS WAY!
985: Here's to not diminishing ourselves!
The start of the new year can be a magical time of the year full of hopes and possibilities. But we can also get caught up in stories about ourselves that are less than kind. So today we're honouring both our past and future selves!
ABOUT THE DAILY PEP! PODCAST
New episodes launch 6am GMT, Monday through Friday
A short, snappy and sassy daily podcast to keep your internal - and external - dreamshitters at bay!
The Daily Pep! is the rebel-rousing, daily podcast for couragemakers, creative, multi-passionate and unconventional women. If you’re surrounded by people who don’t get who you are or what you do, if you want reminders you’re on the right path (no matter how scary it feels), or you’re sick of being your very own worst enemy, this is the podcast for you. Every weekday, your host - writer, coach and professional rebel-rouser - Meg Kissack helps you build a creative and wholehearted life, one day at a time. Through short and snappy insights, reminders and stories, The Daily Pep! is here to remind you you’re not alone, and that everything changes when you believe you matter. Each episode is short and snappy, designed to fit in with (or help you start) your habits and routines