In other words, whether you are a victim or in control of your life, including your thoughts, depends on your level of awareness, reflection and consciousness.

No.

In other words, wether you are a victim or in control of your Life (and thoughts) depends on your CHOICES.

It is not about awareness or reflection alone. You can be completely aware of your flaws/unproductive thoughts, yet choose not to take control of it and stay in your passive role of "victim".


I made a simple point. Why are you trying so hard to make it more intelligent or complicated than it is? I thought my point was quite clear.

Like I said before, it is all about CHOICES.

We have a choice.

ALWAYS.

Simple.

if you mean that you cannot choose which thoughts step into your mind then you are absolutly correct

*cough* Maybe you can't......

I've said it before and I'll keep saying it: Control your mind or let it control you.

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A perfectionist strives to create what is perfection to them. It is a self-imposed rule system.

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I believe you're wrong. It is a pattern of behavior imposed by others in the forming phases of one's life (see Troyzr's line

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I am perfectionist raised by perfectionist...

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- that's why people at some moment actually discover that they function in this way - such as GreenGrove described here.

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It's a compulsion and it would be a good idea for you to try and agressively teach yourself to learn when to stop

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While I absolutely agree with your idea, I think that the approach ( agressively teach yourself ) is counterproductive. The main problem most real perfectionist have is inability to relax, take it easy, take it as not such a serious issue.

Basically, they are too hard on themselves - there is too much agressively imposed attitude (regardless that it aims them to right direction and good results at work/school) in them already. It needs to be balanced with the generous amount of relaxed, "so-what-if" attitude.

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I too am a perfectionist, raised by a perfectionist, who was raised by a perfectionist.

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Don't let that stop you from changing! Some great Satanist I know were raised by Christain who was raised by a Christian...nothing feels as good as breaking the vicious circle


Unfortunately, the society actually supports perfectionism - after all, it does results in excellence, and if you drained yourself completely in the process, it is your loss alone. I have recently been to a public lecture by a very intelligent psychiatrist, who said he's horrified to hear people saying that they are perfectionists with sense of pride - happily admitting that the result (and the accompanying praises) are positioned above their personal wishes, moods and so on.

The fact that proves this attitude is everpresent in so many today is the antistress program that you mentioned here. Striving for perfection, even if it means sleepless nights to get that formulation in paper correct (though the professor will forget it the moment s/he reads it among dozens of others, and most likely will you in time), to name but one behavioral pattern that disregards one's primal need for sleep - results in high stress, that will in some time result in slow development of psychosomatic symptoms.

After all, anti-stress program on institution where most people are in their early twenties, are there cause they have chosen to, and should have plently of time to have good time and fun too - wouldn't be necessary were there not putting themselves under much more pressure then the administration part does.

I wonder who would win that fight?

Hail Satan!

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Do not confuse what you are with what you do.

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Though your argumentation of this line goes in a different direction later on, I think this is a statement of utmost importance for perfectionists.

You'll be as smart/successful etc. if you don't give your best all the time. After all, to err is human - and it is exact those small imperfections that I find so charming and that make those real personal traits.

Dare to throw away the mask of perfection. It is, apart from hiding things you fear to show, keeping some wondeful spontanious things hidden as well.

I remember reading that somewhere, but I don't exactly remember where. Bleh. I think, as long as you don't try to over-do your ritual, you should be fine. Too much concentration can sometimes lead you to think too much on how your doing your ritual rather than working towards the outcome.

Or as I once heard it put, "Fake it 'til you make it".

Of course. I've heard that saying one too many times. You know the only reason people say that is because people never do it. XP

That reminds me of Dr. LaVey's other essay on music. He talked about people who were more concerned with how the music sounded rather than the music itself.

Magic is like a lot of things: it's a means to an end. And, also like a lot of things, you can't get too focused on the means. You'll wind up ignoring the end and defeat the whole purpose.

Before you can make a choice, you have to:

- be aware that you have a choice at all
- reflect on your possible alternatives

And then you have to choose consciously in order to not choose according to unconscious patterns of belief.

We are in the same boat, Dymfna. You can always approach the truth from several perspectives.

There is no fight.

Before you can make a choice, you have to:

- be aware that you have a choice at all
- reflect on your possible alternatives


True. What's your point though? I never said this is not true.

In your first reply you said:

In other words, whether you are a victim or in control of your life, including your thoughts, depends on your level of awareness, reflection and consciousness.

I still say that is not the case.

Wether you are a victim or in control of your life, including your thoughts, depends NOT on your level of awareness alone (like I CLEARLYstated in my previous reply) but on what we DO with that, which CHOICES me make.

Being aware is one thing. Choosing to take control is another.

It is all about choices. I think I was being quite clear


And then you have to choose consciously in order to not choose according to unconscious patterns of belief.

Sorry, that sentence made NO sense WHATsoever to me... Must be because I'm a Dutchy

Care to elaborate?

Well of course you should try this - but you mean you are always with that successful in every situation? - I think in some few situations it is more harder.