Want To Know A Big Secret Of Mine?

I’m not sure if I should brag about this or whisper it like the big secret it is.

I wore the same outfit everyday for the entire week! I wore it to the dentist on Mon., out to dinner with girlfriends on Wed., for a FB live on Thurs., to get my hair cut on Sat., to church on Sunday and around the house the rest of the week.

Same outfit every day!

It was so freeing not to have to think about it. And, no mountain of laundry at the end of the week!

There are other benefits, too. I don’t know about you, but I can get so bogged down with the smallest details that it that it keeps me from making real progress on anything!

The tiniest of decisions can hold my momentum hostage.

It’s possible to get so paralyzed making the perfect decision that by the time you do make a choice, the time to do the next thing has evaporated.

When what to have for dinner, the composition of an email or choosing which picture to post takes too much time, there isn’t enough daylight left to contemplate bigger issues of work, play and rest.

As a recovering perfectionist and people pleaser, it takes me a long time to do ANYTHING that has not been turned into a routine.

It’s no big secret that we all do this, so don’t tell me you don’t.
Our morning ablutions follow a routine.
We eat at appointed times.
We drive the same routes to work and school.
We watch certain shows at specific times.
We mow the lawn in the same pattern.
This is a good thing. It saves time and energy figuring out what’s next!

When we systematize things, it creates more space for creativity and productivity and fun.

I wouldn’t want to eat the same thing every day, so for decades, I made all the meals for the month in one day. My freezer was loaded with duplicate entrees that could be on the table in a matter of minutes. It was cost effective and made meal planning a once a month ordeal rather than a daily one. What’s for dinner was rarely a quandary I faced.

When I write blogs like this, I spend several days in the creative zone, writing seven or eight pieces to use over the next couple months. A flow begins to stream, making the process go so much faster than if I sat down weekly to write pieces for you. The satisfaction of having them written and waiting gives me a sense of pleasure I akin to how I hear runners describe endorphins.

I should warn you, some patterns or systems are more kindly received than others.
Washing your clothes once a week? Fine.
Washing your hair once a week? Suspicious.

Why is it so important to have every duck in a row? Why do we spend so much time deliberating decisions? Why do we spend so much of our energy perfecting the outfit, meal choice or blog?

For me, the bottom line is because I worry that I’m not enough. I lack the confidence that I’ll be accepted or received well unless I’m just so.

My experiment wearing the same outfit all week was successful on so many fronts. It was a no-brainer deciding what to wear every morning! From undies to earrings, it was already planned. It multiplied my time in the morning and because I loved the outfit, I felt confident to face whatever the day held.

It was fun! I honestly felt like I was in on a big secret that pranked everyone. I kept waiting for someone to say, “Didn’t you wear that yesterday?”

I shouldn’t have been surprised, but the world didn’t stop to ridicule, judge or even question.

No one even noticed.

In the big scheme of things, letting go of trying to make everything just so perfect reduces stress and multiplies your time to be more productive which gives you a feeling of euphoria and accomplishment.

Feel free to try my little experiment. If I see you in the same outfit several days in a row, I promise not to say a thing. We’ll just wink at each and exchange knowing smiles. 

Are you up for it? 

Prayer: Remind me that your approval is enough for me, God. That I don’t need to fret over what to eat or what to wear. Guide and show me the right way to stay in the center of your will. Not my own.

 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.  

Matt. 6:31-33 New Living Translation (NLT)