Challenge: Perfectionism & Procrastination

Confession: I'm notorious for procrastination.

In my senior year of high school I read a book about birth order and its effects on personality. The Firstborn Advantage: Making your birthorder work for you states that firstborns are plagued with perfectionism (as well as being driven, controlling, and critical). When in check it is an excellent quality - however, when it rules their life it demands obeisance in the forms of procrastination (the "I can't do it perfectly so I don't want to do it at all" mentality) and frustration.

To this day I still haven't mastered keeping my perfectionism. Most of the time it rules my life. I am constantly in fear of failing and disappointing people (also traits of perfectionism out of balance). This ends up causing procrastination... and leads to me ultimately fufiling my fears.

Often I forget that God requires my full effort not perfection:

• Psalm 100:1 "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord..."
• Colossians 3:23 "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;"
• 1 Corinthians 10:31 "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God"
• 1 Peter 4:11 "if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ,"
• Colossians 3:17 "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."
• Ephesians 6:6 "Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;"

Anyone else seeing the pattern? In my people-pleasing self-centeredness, I often forget God is suppose to be preeminent (Col 1:18). For the glory of God, for the name of Christ, that He may be glorified - everything the Scriptures say focus on God. He doesn't require perfection, but  He demands our best. All He asks is that we give our all. (For instance - "make a joyful noise", not "make harmonious music.")

What's the challenge part of this?

1. One week - no Facebook, Tumblr, Livejournal, or Youtube. I've already gone one week without Facebook (and feel better for it) so I want to add another level...
2. Blog once a day for the next week. I have issues with being diligent with any blog I write (it's not that I'm bad at writing posts... I just have issues with actually writing them and then pressing the publish button.)

Offer my best. Not perfection, not procrastination, not prominence; rather my all for the First and Only.

cross posted from Filia Pacem