Little Miss Perfectionist

Why do I need yoga? I need yoga because it calms my mind. I have one of those brains that, without forceful intervention, simply won’t shut up! My mentor calls is “monkey mind”. On top of a brain that likes to “go, go, go”, I am also a bit of a perfectionist, and little bit of a control freak. This serves me really well in my office career, however when it comes to being a nice, calm, human; those traits can be challenging.

Let me give you insight as to what I mean about my perfectionism. I was, nearly, a straight A student my entire academic career. The few non-As that I got weighed heavily on my mind, particularly when applying to colleges. I had very high aspirations and applied to Princeton, Dartmouth College and a few others. When I took the SATs in High School I got a fair score, I got a 1280 (math was quite high, verbal not so much). That 1280 sent me into a tizzy. I cried, I mean I SOBBED. I refused to get off of the sofa for what felt like weeks. My college careers were squashed. How could I have scored so poorly? What was wrong with me? What was I going to do? This was earth shattering! I didn't achieve a perfect score and no one was going to know just how smart I was!

I use that example because that is how I used to react when 1) I didn’t obtain the perfect score, 2) I didn’t achieve what I thought I should achieve, 3) When things didn’t go my way, 4) I think you get the drift. With age that did mellow some, however in my 30s I still would get those overly anxious feelings when things didn’t work out as I had anticipated.

With yoga I have calmed down. It isn’t, usually, the end of the world when things don’t happen as I foresee them. It is OK. I will be OK. That has helped me more than I can describe in my office career. That is why I need yoga. That is why you need yoga.

Don’t get me wrong. Yogi’s can still have bad days; but that is for another day.

Desk Dwelling Yogi