The Art of the Possible: The Path from Perfectionism to Balance and Freedom

A popular lifestyle guru (Creating a Beautiful Home) here tackles the perfectionist traits that, she claims, frustrate people. ``Balance, the middle path, is the key to a happy and purposeful life,'' counsels Stoddard as she illustrates her ideas about graceful living with anecdotes, personal revelations and aptly chosen marginalia. Her Martha Stewart-like enthusiasm for creativity is tempered by her personal philosophy of Zen-based quietude, and perhaps also by her encounters with life-changing events like death and divorce. By describing her own release from the thrall of perfectionism and her subsequent enjoyment of moments spent in a simplified atmosphere, Stoddard offers inspiration and motivation in a way her followers should enjoy. (Oct.)