If you love to get things right every time and invest in high standards and lofty goals, falling short isn’t an option. But when it happens, the voice of your inner critic might sound off loud and clear. Worse, that self-critical voice can be unrelenting, torturing you for days afterward. You might feel anger, guilt, and a whole lot of frustration at not finishing something or seeing it turn out less than perfectly. Letting go of the need for perfection might seem almost impossible until you figure out how to tamp down the inner critic and move past the need to control to feel happy again. Once you can move past that compulsion, you open space in your being to feel joy.
Light a candle scented with sweet orange, a scent favored in Europe, Arabia, and China during the tenth century to foster relaxation and warm, comforting, and peaceful feelings. Deep breathe for six breaths and then relax and focus your thoughts on things that you can do successfully rather than perfectly, which is so much easier. Repeat this process until you feel peace settle in your bones.