Hello Friends,
Have you ever felt like God or the universe was trying to tell you something? For the past few weeks, I’ve been getting the same message in varying forms so I figured I better pay attention! The message, essentially, is that progress is better than perfection.
We live in a society that exhorts the message, “All or nothing!” or “Go big or go home!” Oftentimes I have been paralyzed by the false belief that I have to give all or nothing. And, for me, that translates to being perfect or nothing. I don’t know if anyone else can relate, however, I have allowed this philosophy to either stop me in my tracks, prevent me from making any forward-moving progress or create such pressure on myself that I am unable to enjoy this journey called life.
Well, enough is enough! Starting with something is always better than waiting for everything. I’ve come to the realization that I’ve waited far too long. Haven’t you?
Some of us have been telling ourselves things like, “Once I get that promotion” or ”Once I pay off that debt” or “Once I get married, have a baby or retire”, whatever it is … some of us have been waiting for that one thing and THEN, our lives will be ‘perfect’ or ‘complete.’
If you’re waiting for perfection, you will NEVER get started! Some progress today is much better than imagining you will achieve perfection tomorrow.
The pandemic, for many (myself definitely included), has kept us in a holding pattern, literally and figuratively. For me, it has and continues to be a struggle to re-engage into a ‘normal way of life,’’ whatever that may mean. Life, however, doesn’t slow down. In fact, as I get older it only seems to speed up! So, this past month Rob and I decided to make an intentional change. We hired a new business coach and we are slowly making progress toward change in our organization. Growing pains, for sure. It’s definitely far from perfect. In fact, we have a ways to go yet, day by day, we’re making progress. The same goes for my personal life. I am committed to doing the things I need to do to get where I want to go. Not necessarily all or nothing – definitely all or something.
What are you waiting for? As Winston Churchill once said, “Perfection is the enemy of progress.” Don’t wait anymore. Take the first step, then the next, and then the next. Enjoy the journey just as much as the destination, knowing that the journey is taking you where you want to be.
You got this!
~Rica
