Why You Don’t Need to be Perfect to Make Progress

We've all been there.

Staring at you gym bag after a long day, knowing you 'should' go, but just can't find the motivation to begin. The session seems too big in your head and you don’t want to start it if it isn't perfect.

You'll wait for another day when you feel better.

Most people don’t fail because they lack discipline. They fail because they expect constant perfection out of themselves and their work.

One missed workout, one night out … and suddenly they fall completely off the wagon because they'd rather not show up at all, than put in an average performance.

While it can be great to pursue perfection in all we do, especially in health and fitness, it is unreasonable to expect anyone to be able to stick 100% to their plan at all times.

Real progress comes from stacking small wins over a long period of time, not a few good workouts every once in a while.

THE PERFECTION TRAP

The perfection trap is where progress goes to die.

It's the idea that everything you do must be perfect and go exactly how you planned for progress to occur.

But this mindset is not conducive to progress at all.

Contrarily, it most often leads to guilt, burnout and having to start over and over again.

Adopting a new mindset, that it's okay to miss workouts or have unplanned rest days when they are needed, is crucial to achieving your goals in the long run.

You wouldn’t quit brushing your teeth just because you missed one day, so apply the same mindset to your health and fitness pursuits.

CONSISTENCY TRUMPS ALL

The 'all or nothing' mindset is one of the biggest reasons people don’t see results. They just can't fathom how a 10 minute workout or walk could possibly benefit them in the long run.

Sure that 10 minute walk won't transform you overnight. But if those small forward steps are made during the times you really don’t feel like doing anything, they all stack up and lead to progress over weeks, months and years.

Doing 'something rather than nothing' enough times is the key here.

This is one of, if not the most important factors in determining an individual's success in achieving their goals. And it applies to all areas of life, not just health and fitness.

WHAT DOES 'SOMETHING' LOOK LIKE

You're not always going to have the perfect workout, meal or nights rest, but here are a few examples of adopting a 'progress over perfection' mindset:

• A 20 minute walk instead of skipping the gym to watch TV

• Ordering a balanced meal when out with friends even if it doesn’t exactly match your meal goals

• Realising that staying up 30 minutes longer than you intended doesn’t mean your whole sleep schedule is ruined

All of these choices count towards making progress in the long run, even if you can't see how that applies in the moment.

Think long-term when making your decisions and avoid the perfection mindset.