Be Proud of Your Progress
“The goal is not to be perfect by the end. The goal is to be better today.” – Simon Sinek
I love that quote because it speaks to what we’re all about at Courage to Caregivers. We’re not about perfectionism. We don’t strive to be perfect. What we do strive for is progress … baby steps toward personal improvement … embracing a growth mindset as we deal with all of the challenges we face in our daily lives … recognizing all that we accomplish along our life’s journey … and being “better today.”
That’s why I always say, “I’m a perfectly imperfect perpetual work in progress.” And this week’s topic, progress over perfection, is just another way of saying that our progress is what matters, not perfection.
Although the desire for perfection may seem like a laudable goal, it may actually keep us from being our best selves. We can get so focused on doing something perfectly that we miss other opportunities that might lead to something as good as or better than what we originally intended. We become afraid to take risks, to try new things, to be creative, or to use our imagination. We also may become self-critical or judgmental toward others, believing that there is only one right way and that anyone not working for us is against us.
On the other hand, when we focus on progress over perfection, we are able to grow, one improvement at a time. Doing our best becomes good enough.
To ensure that we maintain our focus on progress rather than perfection, here are five tools that can help us keep a growth mindset:
Embrace failure. Learn from your mistakes.
Take micro-steps. Slow and steady wins the race.
Expect messiness. Progress is not linear.
Be patient and persistent. Take a deep breath. Take a break. Set micro-goals. Make a plan.
Focus on hope. Hope encourages us to keep going even when things are rough.
And while achieving perfection may not be possible, achieving excellence is. There is much we can learn and grow from as we pursue excellence, expanding our knowledge and worldview at the same time. Best of all, excellence is a standard that we can set for ourselves to help us do our best work and put in our best effort, rather than trying to achieve society’s or someone else’s ideas of perfection.
So don’t let the pursuit of perfection get in the way of your progress. Pursue excellence instead, and be YOUR best self.