Category: Control

This past weekend my husband and I planted some flowers in our yard.  I am not terribly experienced with planting things (though I do have an indoor geranium that I cherish) and felt slightly apprehensive about this task.  My husband, however, assured me that we would be just fine and reminded me how lovely it would be to come home to such beauty and color.  And so, we set off to make our selections before putting them in the ground.

After browsing the outdoor section at Lowe’s, we came home with petunias, marigolds, begonias, and a bunch of other pretty things I do not know the names for.  I had to admit, seeing the colorful flowers all together on my porch made my heart smile.  As we began to plant, we had to make some decisions about where each flower should go.  The “full sun” petunias and marigolds near the front, the “partial shade” begonias in the back, and so on.  We looked at what the flowers needed and t ...

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One of my favorite shows growing up was the show Mythbusters. Every week Adam and Jamie would explore different myths to see if they actually hold up. One of my favorite episodes tested whether a water heater could turn into a rocket. They set up their experiment and describe how a water heater works and how the failsafes that are in place keep it from exploding. A water heater uses a heat source to bring the water to temperature. As that is occurring, water turns to steam which in turn presses against the sides and bottom of the tank.  They describe how there is a release valve on the side of the tank designed to release the pressure that is building. They also point out that there is an emergency back-up valve in place just in case the regular valve stops working. So what do they do to test the myth? They remove the release valves and crank the heat!

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Do you procrastinate? Do you find it difficult to start or complete a project? Maybe you are a frustrated perfectionist. Some people were raised in a home where perfectionism was the ideal to shoot for. In reality, perfectionism can be a road block to accomplishing goals, completing tasks or getting needs met.

 

Our desire or driving need to be perfect or do a job perfectly can shut down our ability to move forward and leave us feeling unmotivated and paralyzed. It can prevent us from sharing pain with a trusted friend or calling the doctor. If there is not enough time or energy to do a job perfectly, we may feel frustrated and leave the job undone.

 

There have been many times where I did not even attempt to go after a goal for fear of failing. The thoughts running through my mind sounded like…

 

“What if I fail?”

“What will people think of me?” or,

...

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