As I read more and more blogs, it’s getting very difficult to narrow the fantastic posts down to five. What an awesome problem to have!

Here are this week’s FABULOUS posts:

Having trouble staying optimistic? Eliminate these 5 words from your vocabulary. I would add “try” to the list. As Yoda says, “Do or do not. There is not ‘try’.”

Certain phrases grate on my nerves, the “latte factor” is one of them. Nickel and diming your spending habits and by extension yourself only serves to narrow your consciousness around money. Ramit Sethi finally gets to the heart of the matter and comes right out and says it: “THE PROBLEM IS HARDLY ANYONE IS DECIDING WHAT’S IMPORTANT AND WHAT’S NOT! DAMNIT!”

Ramit has declared 2007 the year of Conscious Spending. The article is a must read.

Conscious spending means you decide exactly where you’re going to spend your money–for going out, for saving, for investing, for rent–and you free yourself from feeling guilty about your spending. Along with making you feel comfortable with your spending, a plan lets you continue growing towards your goals instead of just treading water.

Sometimes, I fall into the trap of thinking that meditation is the only time I need to be present. In fact, every moment is an opportunity to be present and alert. When you are, you are able to pay attention to trigger situations so that you can make better decisions in the moment. Gretchen shares this discovery with us in The Importance of “Mindfulness”, Or I Should Be Listening To Those Lectures I’ve Been Giving.

In 66 Successful Bloggers and What They Can Teach You, Bill Belew introduces us to the great teachers of the blogosphere. This compilation is essential reading if you are interested in “get[ting] great blogging results”, “position[ing] yourself as an expert”, or “be[ing] a great conversationalist”.

After reading dozens of personal development books, I found that not much had changed in my life. It finally occured to me that maybe the authors meant that I should put some of their ideas into practice. Consistently. In Why Don’t We Do What We Know, Jodee gives us some questions that can help us get to the root of the problem so that we can finally live the life we were born to live.

What are some of the fabulous posts you’ve read this week?

In Spirit,
Nneka

In a class the other day, the instructor gave us an assignment with specific instructions. I could hear my mind practicing the perfect way to do the task. About 15 seconds into it, I started to laugh. I was so focused on doing it “right” that I was about to miss the point of the exercise.

Today I walked into my office after a fantastic start to the day: a brisk walk in the chilled air, and a centering meditation. I was sauntering. As I approached my cube, someone was already sitting in it. “This can’t be good,” I thought. Lo, and behold, it wasn’t. I got knocked right off my center. Things started to unravel at that moment. As I tried to hold it together, it just kept spiralling. Imagine Lucy in the pie episode. Once again, I started to laugh at myself. Trying to come off as perfect was causing me pain and difficulty. When I was able to let go, admit weakness, and seek help, everything started to flow again.

Breaking the need to be right or perfect is an evolving process for me. I’ve come a long way in that I actually recognize what I’m doing and I’m okay enough with it that I could laugh at myself. There was a time when I would ram myself into my perceived perfect mold and swallow (literally with food) the discomfort. I think I spent 75% of my life to date covering up flaws in pursuit of perfection.

As a reforming perfectionist, I’m realizing that everything works out splendidly when I’m not trying to manipulate it into that state. It allows me to actually enjoy the moments, the struggles, the inconsistencies. I could laugh at myself. I’m getting closer to the point where the inclination to launch into a cover up is going away and I’m much happier for it.

Are you a reforming perfectionist?

In Spirit,
Nneka