Stuck on the backlog

A year ago I had a conversation with one of the young women I taught at church. I was encouraging her to set some goals and make advancement on the church's program for her age group, "Personal Progress.". She informed me that she really wanted to get around to that but that first she needed to finish catching up on her journal. I complimented her on her desire to keep a regular diary of her life and asked what she was "catching up on," to which she replied, "Two summers ago and I just need to then write about all of the last year and a half!"

It became very clear to me in a moment that her perfectionistic expectations were completely paralyzingly her. She would not move on until she felt like she had perfectly completed this one requirement, and, in the process, she was preventing herself from ever getting anything else done.

I offered some sage advice, encouraged her to let up a bit on needing to record every event in her life and maybe set some other goals in the meantime.

But, apparently, when I offered that counsel, I was simply being a hypocrite.

I have spent the past two months with a list of blog entries I want to write bouncing around in my head and tons of positive intentions. But, since I cannot find the time and energy lately to sit down and "catch up" on all the past, I do nothing.

I keep telling myself to just write about what is current, but it is still hard to let go of the the perfectionistic voice in my head that says if I cannot live up to my vision of the "perfect blog" I should just give it up entirely.

I just hate it when I prove to myself that I cannot even take my own advice -- let alone anyone else's.

Argh!