Progress not Perfection
I’m sure you’ve heard me say things before. We should focus on progress not perfection. The problem with striving for Perfect is that it keeps us in a box. It keeps us from stepping out of our comfort zone and holds us in a pattern of living in the “when, then?” mindset. For example, “When I am 10 pounds thinner, then I will be happy.” “When I make x pounds, then I will be successful.” You get the idea. It tells us that we’re not good enough yet, not strong enough yet, not beautiful enough yet…
The Progress mindset on the other hand is empowering and uplifting. We should focus on our little success each and every day. Because if you look out for them, you’re making progress in some way all the time: with each and every workout, with each healthy food choice and with each attempt to do something new.
So here’s some actionable points to help you switch on the Progress mindset:
Challenge your thoughts.
As I showed in the original post, it’s really easy to fall into the “not good enough” trap. So the first action is to identify when you are doing that and change it. When someone says: how’s the exercise going? Say, “Brilliant I went twice this week” rather than: “OK but I missed a session this week.”
If you’re trying to lose weight, give yourself a mental high five every time you don’t reach for the snacks rather than a battering for each time that you do.
Celebrate your wins.
Keep a list of your wins. This could be daily, weekly or long term.
I often ask in my FB group for a win but it’s sometimes really hard to get input from the group. Because as a society we’re just not very good at shouting them out. We think it’s being braggy or boastful… It not. The point of the exercise is to keep focus on the things we’re achieving…
Get Stuff Done.
Imperfect action is better than no action. Recognise this and start somewhere! Aiming for perfect is often a reason behind procrastination and lack of action. Take some action, even if imperfect and the will create progress towards your goal…
