The toxic behavior focus for week 1 was on Gossip.
The toxic behavior focus for week 2 was on Comparison.
The toxic behavior focus for week 3 was on Obligation.
The toxic behavior focus for this week is on Expectations. Did you know that "Perfection" is my middle name? Ok, not really, but it should be. I am your typical Virgo and Virgos are ruled by the need for perfection and order. I don't like seeing dishes in the sink so they all have to be washed right away. I don't like to see clothes on the bed so they have to be put away immediately when I enter the house. I don't like seeing dirt of any kind so vacuuming and dusting are constant agenda items. I hate being late so I have to arrive at least 10 minutes early for every appointment. My overachiever attitude worked out pretty good for most of my life, until I became a mom. Even then, when my son was little, I was able to keep up the pace of my expectations.
But now time and age and my kid's never ending activities are playing with my expectations. I can no longer keep up the pace. Clothes are not always making their way back into the closet. Dishes are sometimes still in the sink in the morning. And when was the last time that I vacuumed the carpet? I have been forced to lower my expectations a little just to keep up with life. And you know what? No one died from it. My kid did not care that this year I did not get him all new school supplies and a new book bag. I don't think he even noticed that I recycled school supplies that were already in the house.
The Inner Mean Girl Cleanse teaches we should do two things to deal with unrealistic expectations. The first thing is to under promise and overachieve. Don't go in with the superwoman attitude for every project. Give yourself a break and set doable goals. The second thing is to start working at 80% of your energy instead of 110% energy. Most women burn out from just the stress of giving too much for too long. Slow down and conserve the extra energy for yourself. You deserve it.
My next blog post will deal with one of the two remaining toxic behaviors of Judgment or Fear. If you want to follow along with the Inner Mean Girl Cleanse, go to http://www.meangirlcleanse.com/.
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Disclosure: I am participating in the Inner Mean Girl 40-day Cleanse as a Self-Love Ambassador. To thank me for my participation, I will receive a self-love gift from the founders of the Inner Mean Girl Reform School.
Click here to read all the posts in the Inner Mean Girl Series