The PURSE-onality Challenge: Giving Up on Perfect

(My apologies for a week of silence: I've been traveling, working on my new website, and trying to convince Feedburner to function again for me!)

I spent much of this week traveling and attending the She Speaks Intensive conference in North Carolina. Not surprisingly, all the blog posts that caught my attention this week speak to the creative process:

1. Laura Hyers gives a gentle reminder that "some days are just hard days" in "When Your Day is One of Those."

2. Holley Gerth starts out "A hard day hits me" in “I Need You. You Need Me. {And That’s Good.}”

3. Emily Freeman challenges us to do a very hard thing in “One Thing We’re Waiting For (and Why It’s Time to Stop)."

4. Mary Carver at Giving Up on Perfect understands how hard it can for me to choose from among so many options in “What’s the Bright Idea?”

5. Jenny Price -- guest posting at Jeff Goins’ blog -- says that if onlookers aren't saying, "you're nuts!" then our dreams may need a boost (in "Keep Dreaming… Even When They Think You’re Nuts.")

6. "There will always be a surplus of people eager to criticize, nitpick, or recommend caution" says Seth Godin, arguing "On Behalf of Yes."

7. Heather Kopp at Sober Boots highlights this wonderful line from “A Prayer to be Poor”: "to do the truth quietly and without display."

8. Arianne of To Think is to Create blogging at (in)Courage asks this vital question in "On Missing the Curve”: "What do you do when everything you expected God to do turns out to be wrong? When an entirely different (and unwanted) path is before you?"

9. Adelle Gabrielson muses about the fact that when you're a parent -- regardless of the kind of day you're having, the dreams you are reaching, or the mistakes you're making -- "Someone is Watching."

10. And Skip Prichard, guest blogging at Michael Hyatt, extrapolates some incredible "Lessons from the Ordinary."

Your Turn:

What blog posts have you read this week that you especially enjoyed?

What topics tend to grab your interest?

Anything else on your heart!

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1. Michele Cushatt shares her own “Mom fails” and a great does of encourgement in “To the Mom Who Can’t Keep Up” and suggests that we “quit. Not motherhood, but trying to measure success according to a checked-off list of unrealistic expectations. Motherhood is less about supposed-to’s and far more about get-to’s.”

2. Over at Giving Up on Perfect, Mary shares her disapointment in “The Personality Test that Burst My Bubble.” As a fellow Communicator and Activator, I had to laugh at her dismay at not scoring highly in one particularly desirable strength, because I had the exact same reaction when I took the StrengthsFinder 2.0!

3. In her guest post at Becoming Minimalist, Robyn Devine offers strategies for “Breaking the Sentimental Attachment to Books.” As I’m feeling convicted to gut my bookshelves again, both at home and at shchool, this is both a timely and practical guide

4. In “Clearly Speaking”, Lori (aka The Generous Wife!) discusses the importance of communicating to our husbands clearly rather than in code. This advice was a great reminder to me, as just this week Daniel and I missed out on having lunch together–despite the fact that we were home together for an hour!–because we both made generalized suggestion which led to assumptions, rather than speaking clearly and then clarifying that we’d understood.

5. I love Scott’s perspective over at Journey to Surrender in “Dress for Success: Put on Patience”. I so need the reminder to “Enjoy preparation time” rather than rushing through life on efficiency mode. His list of “5 ways to let your marriage steep” is a much-needed contrast to all the ways I so naturally find to stew about my marriage!

6. John Sowers, guest blogging at Storyline, discusses “Finding Your Keystone Habit.”

As I’m traveling to North Carolina this weekend, I’ve been slowly acclimating to Eastern Standard Time by getting up 30 minutes earlier each morning and going to bed 30 minutes earlier each night. I’ve been surprised by how much I’m enjoying being up at 4:00 AM to spend time in scripture and to exercise.

7. Emily Freeman’s observations on Lance Armstrong’s Oprah interview in “For When You Think You Want Control” have me thinking about control issues...especially when I’m in crisis and when I get caught.

8. My husband would be far too embarrassed to thank Kathi Lipp in person, but her “Get Yourself Organized: Your Pajamas” has produced some changes in my night attire that have caused him to say, multiple times, “I really think you should keep hanging out with Kathi!”

9. “The Apathy Shield” by Jon Acuff has me examining various areas of my life to see where an apathy shield either has gone up or is on its way up. Healthy detachment is a skill I’m trying to learn, but I don’t want to end up swinging into apathy.