Today I’m going to share an idea that shows up in all kinds of places, including how we eat, and how we move and, most especially, how we think. Here it is: Perfection is the enemy of progress.
Maybe you’re sure you can’t walk ten thousand steps a day, so you don’t even try to walk half that many. Maybe you don’t have the best voice in the world, so you refuse to sing in public, even in a large group. Maybe you admire someone for the fact that she makes all her own clothes, but that’s obviously impossible for you, so you don’t even pull out the sewing machine to try a simple table runner. And last, but not least, maybe you have given up any and all hope that your favorite pants will ever fit again.
Besides calling this attitude “perfection is the enemy of progress,” you could also call it “the excellent is the enemy of the good.” It adds up to the same thing — if you can’t do it exactly right, you’re not going to do it at all. Really? Is that what you’d recommend to a child who loves you and who respects your advice? Obviously not. So then why on earth would it be okay to tell yourself?
A corollary to this attitude is “No sense even trying if you don’t think you can do it perfectly right the first time.” To be honest, I can’t say that I’ve ever heard of anyone who accomplished much of anything using that strategy. Nobel Prize winners? Olympic athletes? Musicians? In fact, the most serious pianists, violinists, flutists, trombonists, and so on, call themselves “students” all their lives. Malcolm Gladwell, in Outliers: The Story of Success, shares his “10,000-Hour Rule,” which states that a not-so-magical transition from amateur to expert occurs with practicing a specific task for 10,000 hours. That adds up to three hours a day for ten years. Ninety minutes a day for 20 years. Thirty minutes a day for 60 years. No wonder 80-year-olds are so good at a great many things.
So how to use this for yourself? Ask yourself what you can manage. Answer honestly, not wishfully. You must answer honestly, because if you’re not honest with yourself, it cannot work. Can you get outside for a 10-minute walk? How about just today? Just tomorrow? How about three days a week? Weekends? Every day? Your choice. Too cold outside at 15 degrees F? Yes, I understand. So….how about stretching? Can you stretch or do yoga for 10 minutes today? No? Okay, what about 5 minutes? Or 15 minutes, or 30? Hate yoga? All right, what about climbing up and down the stairs for a little while? Walking in the hallways? Playing racqutball with a friend? You choose.
In the food arena, we make hundreds if not thousands of choices every day. Will I take a second helping? Will I take just one more bite? Will I finish every speck of food on my plate? Will it be a “salad-size” or “dinner-size” plate? Will I drink a glass of water? Will I make a pot of soup? Will I get takeout? Will I pack my lunch? Will I go through the drive-thru? Will I finish off all the leftovers? Will I bake? What will I bake? Will I use whole-grain flour? Will I flip through a seed catalog? Will I start planning next summer’s garden? Will I go grocery shopping? Will I buy bok choy? Will I buy tomatoes? Will I buy Fruitee Crunch-O’s, and tell myself that it’s really just for the kids (as if they don’t deserve better)? Will I buy nuts? Will I make trail mix? Will I wash, dry, and shred the lettuce when I get home so it’s ready to make a salad whenever I want? Will I sign up for a cheese-making class? And, most importantly, what’s for dinner?
You get the idea. I did not simply awaken one morning to find a hen house in my backyard. It’s not human nature to start doing everything exactly as you dream it should be, just right, from day one. Instead, think about your personal wish list, pick one thing you want to do differently, and try it out. See how it feels, how it tastes. See what you think, and then see about trying again or picking something different. Find one thing that you actually enjoy because it is no hardship at all, and you might discover that your next choice isn’t an OR, but rather an AND.
Maybe you’re sure you can’t walk ten thousand steps a day, so you don’t even try to walk half that many. Maybe you don’t have the best voice in the world, so you refuse to sing in public, even in a large group. Maybe you admire someone for the fact that she makes all her own clothes, but that’s obviously impossible for you, so you don’t even pull out the sewing machine to try a simple table runner. And last, but not least, maybe you have given up any and all hope that your favorite pants will ever fit again.
Besides calling this attitude “perfection is the enemy of progress,” you could also call it “the excellent is the enemy of the good.” It adds up to the same thing — if you can’t do it exactly right, you’re not going to do it at all. Really? Is that what you’d recommend to a child who loves you and who respects your advice? Obviously not. So then why on earth would it be okay to tell yourself?
A corollary to this attitude is “No sense even trying if you don’t think you can do it perfectly right the first time.” To be honest, I can’t say that I’ve ever heard of anyone who accomplished much of anything using that strategy. Nobel Prize winners? Olympic athletes? Musicians? In fact, the most serious pianists, violinists, flutists, trombonists, and so on, call themselves “students” all their lives. Malcolm Gladwell, in Outliers: The Story of Success, shares his “10,000-Hour Rule,” which states that a not-so-magical transition from amateur to expert occurs with practicing a specific task for 10,000 hours. That adds up to three hours a day for ten years. Ninety minutes a day for 20 years. Thirty minutes a day for 60 years. No wonder 80-year-olds are so good at a great many things.
So how to use this for yourself? Ask yourself what you can manage. Answer honestly, not wishfully. You must answer honestly, because if you’re not honest with yourself, it cannot work. Can you get outside for a 10-minute walk? How about just today? Just tomorrow? How about three days a week? Weekends? Every day? Your choice. Too cold outside at 15 degrees F? Yes, I understand. So….how about stretching? Can you stretch or do yoga for 10 minutes today? No? Okay, what about 5 minutes? Or 15 minutes, or 30? Hate yoga? All right, what about climbing up and down the stairs for a little while? Walking in the hallways? Playing racqutball with a friend? You choose.
In the food arena, we make hundreds if not thousands of choices every day. Will I take a second helping? Will I take just one more bite? Will I finish every speck of food on my plate? Will it be a “salad-size” or “dinner-size” plate? Will I drink a glass of water? Will I make a pot of soup? Will I get takeout? Will I pack my lunch? Will I go through the drive-thru? Will I finish off all the leftovers? Will I bake? What will I bake? Will I use whole-grain flour? Will I flip through a seed catalog? Will I start planning next summer’s garden? Will I go grocery shopping? Will I buy bok choy? Will I buy tomatoes? Will I buy Fruitee Crunch-O’s, and tell myself that it’s really just for the kids (as if they don’t deserve better)? Will I buy nuts? Will I make trail mix? Will I wash, dry, and shred the lettuce when I get home so it’s ready to make a salad whenever I want? Will I sign up for a cheese-making class? And, most importantly, what’s for dinner?
You get the idea. I did not simply awaken one morning to find a hen house in my backyard. It’s not human nature to start doing everything exactly as you dream it should be, just right, from day one. Instead, think about your personal wish list, pick one thing you want to do differently, and try it out. See how it feels, how it tastes. See what you think, and then see about trying again or picking something different. Find one thing that you actually enjoy because it is no hardship at all, and you might discover that your next choice isn’t an OR, but rather an AND.
In other words, try this approach instead: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Do what you enjoy, and enjoy what you do. Put a more positive spin on it. Not only will the time fly by, but you may find, one of these days, that you fit into those pants again, after all.
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