Dear Girlfriends,

In Hugh Lofting's wonderful children's tale about Dr. Doolittle, he introduced his readers to a unique creature called a pushmi-pullyu (pronounced push-me; pull-you). Do you remember?

"PUSHMI-PULLYUS had no tail, but a head at each end, and sharp horns on each head. They were very shy and terribly hard to catch. The black men get most of their animals by sneaking up behind them while they are not looking. But you could not do this with the pushmi-pullyu - because, no matter which way you came towards him, he was always facing you. And besides, only one half of him slept at a time. The other head was always awake - and watching." The Story of Dr. Doolittle

I am convinced that a pushmi-pullyu haunts most high-achieving women. We are often controlled by something that is pushing and pulling us, causing us to miss lasting joy in our lives - and that something is perfection. While hitting on all cylinders at all times is what takes many women to the pinnacle of success (both professionally and personally) it is this drive for excellence that sucks the contented life from that same self-motivated gal.

Of course I know many high-achieving women who are not pursued by the Pushmi-Pullyu of Perfection - but all who come to mind are over the age of 60. These women have finally cornered the beast after years of dealing with its sharp horns and are living their best lives, right now.

If my AARP card-carrying girlfriends can do this - why can't we? I don't want to wait one more day to grasp life and live it to its fullest - I want to do it now!

Is your drive driving you crazy, too? Well, put on your safari hat - we're going huntin'. We're going to bag us some Pushmi-Pullyus of Perfection.

I ain't scared,
Ellen

Posted by Ellen on May 29, 2007 2:00 PM  |  Category: The Pushmi-Pullyu of Perfection