Embracing Internal Obstacles
part two - perfectionism
“Perfect is the enemy of the good”
It has to be perfect, I HAVE TO BE PERFECT- if I cannot guarantee that end product will be what I envision as perfect then why even do it. If I can’t complete all of the challenges or I need to modify certain exercises then I’m just not even going to partake in it. This is the Nirvana Fallacy, the idea of comparing actual things with unrealistic or idealized alternatives.
No one is perfect, and the striving for perfection is one of the most limiting self-imposed obstacles there are. It is much easier for us to look at something that is challenging and will require hard work time and effort and think but it has to be perfect. If I know it will not be perfect, why even bother. Perfection does not allow for incremental gains, perfection does not allow for mistakes or failures, and mistakes and failures are where we learn to grow and become better.
“Understanding the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism is critical to laying down the shield and picking up your life. Research shows that perfectionism hampers success. In fact, it’s often the path to depression, anxiety, addiction, and life paralysis”
Listen, I know that these posts are full of grammatical issues, and some of the ideas may not come across as I want them to. I’m a personal trainer and yoga instructor with a BS in marine biology not an English teacher, so what should I do? Do I add another level of scrutiny before posting, get an outside source (which I do not want to spend the money on) to review my writing prior to ‘publishing’ it, creating more back and forth before the final product is posted? This would make the process (for me) too cumbersome and I would just be sitting on the sidelines because if I worked towards perfect, nothing would ever be posted.
Progress not perfection. Perfection will lead to procrastination, and procrastination can stall self-growth, and will suck time and energy away from you. Just do it, do it with no explanations, no extenuating circumstances, if you do the best you can at the time then there is no reason for explanation.
“Have no fear of perfection, you’ll never achieve it”
All that we can be is what we are right now, what we can strive for is to be the best version of ourselves at this present moment. We should strive for our best, and I mean really strive, put the effort in, do what you can the best you can. Do not allow yourself to accept less than you are capable of because “you’re not looking for perfection”. Find enjoyment in the amount of effort you put forth, find happiness is knowing that you are constantly challenging yourself.