The Enemy of the Good

I just started listening to the podcast "Happier" by Gretchen Rubin, of "The Happiness Project" fame. The very first episode talks about the difference between Maximizers and Satisficers. Maximizers are always looking for the best choice among many options, while Satisficers choose whichever option meets their criteria, and then move on. Can you guess which one I am? Let's see if you can tell by the following scenario that plays out all the time for me:

Hmm, I just colored my hair. I guess I need a new shampoo, right? I wonder what shampoo I should get? Well, let me do some research on the best shampoos for colored hair...okay here's a Top 10 list...Fast forward ten days later at store. I pull up the list on my phone (does anybody else have a million windows open all the time?) and select the cheapest option.

As a Maximizer, I tell myself that I won't settle for anything less than the best. I tell myself that I really should know everything about a decision before I say yes or no. So my walls are bare, waiting for me to fill them with the perfect pictures. My blog sits inactive (last post three months ago!) because I don't have the perfect idea. I joke that if it were up to me, we would still be looking for a house.

But the reality is, sometimes you don't have the perfect picture, the perfect idea, the perfect house. As Voltaire said, "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." This has been a theme in my life for a reason. I need to let go of my idea of perfection, and be okay with good enough. Because, while I'm waiting for the perfect solution, life is swiftly passing me by.

So which are you? A Maximizer or a Satisficer?

P.S. Bonus points if you can guess what my husband is.