Your colleague says: “You did an okay job with last week’s presentation.”
Your mother-in-law says: “Your house is clean enough but could use some attention to detail.”
Your partner says: “The meal you made tonight? It was alright.”
You tell yourself: “Parenting—hmmm…why can’t I get it together (seems like everyone else can)?”
Your supervisor says: “Job performance? Yep, you are meeting expectations.”
What do these statements bring out in you? Pride and satisfaction? Or, are you like me and recognize that there are some feelings of disappointment and guilt that, if you heard any of these statements, would be there if you were really being honest with yourself? I think it is safe to say, that striving for mediocrity is not on many people’s list of lifetime goals.
The truth is that there is such a drive in today’s culture to ‘have it all and have it all at once.’ We walk around believing and telling ourselves that we are “less than” if we don’t measure up to this impossible standard—to have everything in order, perfectly, all the time. Some personality styles adhere to this more than others, but I think that it is pretty clear that we are all affected in some way or another by unrealistic expectations…that others have of us or that we have of ourselves.
We’re giving away 100 backpacks loaded with school supplies! You can sign up to win one of 100 backpacks right here at marandatv.com. Just click on the contest button at the top of this website. Our friends from Herman Miller have donated beautiful backpacks and MEIJER has provided all the supplies including notebooks, pencils, erasers, crayons, glue sticks and more! The contest runs through the end of August. We’ll notify winners via mail. Sign up now to win!
It takes a lot of great organizations and volunteers to put Park Parties on each year. Here’s a look at some of the people how help make it all happen.
Over the course of the summer thousands of kids climb the wall, slide down the super slide and tackle the ropes course. Here’s a look at how the numbers break down.
Have you ever experienced a problem that has you end up feeling trapped, like there is no way out? Do you end up stewing, thinking about, and focusing on this struggle from day to day, leaving you feeling even more discouraged? Maybe you feel trapped in your job, experience frustration and misunderstanding in a relationship, or are upset at yourself for gaining some pounds over the past couple of years. Perhaps it’s just that the summer and change in routine has you spinning. Do you feel disorganized, depressed, overwhelmed?
I know how easy it is to focus on these concerns, to experience thoughts and feelings that consistently come back to the struggle you are experiencing. The focus is on the problem…day after day…this in itself can be overwhelming and discouraging.
