Tall Pipi

It's been a while since my last blog about dreams. I blame work! A certain amount of my creative brain energy is taken up with my job and I find myself too exhausted at the end of the day to think of anything else to create, write or make. It's such a shame that work gets in the way of life!

Confession Time
This week I have been pondering on my personality and how it applies to dream making. Folks, I am a perfectionist; albeit attempting to be a reformed perfectionist. Lately, being newly wed and starting back at my teaching job, I have found myself trying to achieve a perfect work/life balance, while trying to do everything perfectly - be the perfect wife, the perfect teacher, the perfect colleague, the perfect friend, the perfect blogger...the list goes on. There are two ways a perfectionist can react when faced with the possibility of not having something work out perfectly; they either fail to do whatever it is they are attempting, or they turn into a workaholic that doesn't know how to rest. I have been known to do both. In terms of my own quest to fulfill my dreams, I have slowed down in my attempts to fulfill them and, I must admit, mostly because I am not sure they are going to work out perfectly, or even at all!

The Small Still Voice
But I have realised this week that not one thing can ever be perfect but it can be good, it can be doable and it can make a difference. In my class we are starting a phonics program that I have never done before. I have watched the DVD, read the information, looked at the material and yet I was hesitant about doing it because I didn't think I would get it all right and wanted to make sure that when I started the program, I would be able to teach it perfectly. Then a little voice said, "if you wait until it's perfect, you'll never do it, just start small, it doesn't have to be all right, you can improve as you go." So I did it, and no, I didn't do it all properly on the first day. I'm still not doing it all perfectly, but every day I am imrpoving, adding, adjusting, and every day the kids are getting something out of it; I am adding to their learning and the light bulbs are switching on - which is exactly why I became a teacher!

Victory!
So, onward and upward with my dreaming! I shall have some fun, set my sights forward and laugh at my mistakes.

Any other perfectionists out there?

Tania