I am turning 28 later this week. While I am focused on self-improvement, I am not in a huge rush to get married (I do not want kids). I am a perfectionist. While this has helped me, I am also very hard on myself. I realize at this age looks start to fade so I am taking better care of myself. I am already pretty and naturally thin, but I'm taking care of some things that bother me (improving skin, getting Invisalign, building muscle, etc).

Some of these changes are difficult because it means changing my lifestyle. For example, going to bed early instead of hanging out with friends so I can go to the gym early in the morning. I am considering cutting out alcohol (never drank it much anyway) and deleting my social media accounts (time wasters), but that also affects what little social life I have. Even though I shouldn't care about what others think, I worry that my friends will think I am "better" than them.

My close friends are supportive of these changes but don't really see it as necessary. When I mess up (eat something unhealthy, for example) they tell me it's no big deal and try again tomorrow. This is probably good advice, but part of me wishes they were harder on me. Sometimes I wish I got tough love from them or had an accountability partner. That's why I like RPW, you guys aren't afraid to give tough love when necessary.

My question is, while I'm trying to improve myself, what should I do when I slip up? I'm having a hard time balancing between perfectionism and laziness. How have you handled major lifestyle changes when your friends/family don't follow the same lifestyle? It's frustrating because I have made some positive changes in my life, but I feel like I have hit a plateau where I'm struggling to push myself further out of my comfort zone. I want to reach my full potential but it's almost like I'm afraid of doing so.