Maybe your morning went something like this...

You woke up with a headache after just four hours of sleep. A shiny, brand-new zit greeted you in your bathroom mirror. Your didn't have time to make your bed, you splashed milk all over the kitchen table, you snapped at your daughter when she couldn't find her homework and you realized your baby has pinkeye.

Like a bug caught in the sticky, days-old residue on your tile floor, you came to the conclusion that you're hopeless. You're such a lousy person, you should be carted off immediately and hurtled into outer space. And why, exactly, are you such a miserable, lowlife human being?

  1. You lose your temper.

  2. Your windows are grimy.

  3. Your kids mouth off.

  4. It's been ages since you called your mom.

  5. You make unnecessary purchases.

  6. It's been almost a decade since you last scrapbooked.

  7. You forget to put sunscreen on your kids.

  8. You lied to your friend.

  9. One brownie is never enough, and a cheeseburger always sounds better than a salad.

You sigh because your list could go on into double or triple digits. However, thinking back over the past few weeks, maybe you did do a few things right.

  1. You read a story to your toddler that made him giggle.

  2. You took a loaf of bread to the new neighbor.

  3. You paid a sweet compliment to your daughter's awkward friend.

  4. You gave thanks to God for the recent rainstorm, your family, and the plentiful food on your table.

  5. You plucked your eyebrows and polished your nails.

  6. You smiled warmly at the grumpy store cashier.

  7. You gave your spouse an extra kiss and squeeze.

  8. A colleague at work was in a tight spot and you helped him.

  9. You finally scrubbed your kitchen floor.

See? You mess up - everyone does - but you do a lot of things right, too. Who wants to be perfect all the time, anyway? Never saying the wrong thing, always eating the right thing, maintaining a spotless house 24/7 - those things are impossible and exhausting. In an article from Huffington Post, motivational speaker, Eli Davidson, says the opposite of "Perfectionitis" is simply "healthy striving."

"Studies show that healthy strivers set realistic goals that are the natural next step from where they are now," says Davidson. She recommends that you cut yourself some slack, take really small steps, be gentler with yourself, make "maybe someday" to-do lists, ask for help and pat yourself on the back for the progress you make. Also, remember that "everyone has zits or cellulite or both," says Davidson.

Don't board that spaceship quite yet. You have so much to offer yourself, your family, friends and even strangers on the street. Although it's easy to discount the good things you do, they actually mean a lot. Keep in mind this quote from novelist Roderick Thorp: "We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies."

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