Progress, Not Perfection: The Mantra That Moves You Forward

“Perfectionism is self-destructive simply because there’s no such thing as perfect. Perfection is an unattainable goal.”

— Brené Brown

It’s easy to get hung up when trying to find the best plan for change: which diet will get you to your goals, which workout will build the most strength, which supplements will remedy your health, etc. We get so focused on figuring out the perfect approach that our progress is circling the drain before we even get started.

Enter: perfectionism. The psychological barrier that none of us are immune to. It's the big roadblock.

Perfectionism = FEAR. It’s the irrational fear that you might fail at something and then be exposed as a failure — that your friends, family and the world would label you as no good, a failure, an idiot — that you would feel ashamed of yourself because ultimately don’t measure up to everyone else who is killing it in life. Perfectionism is the fear that you’ll put yourself out there and everyone will see your flaws and then judge you for not being PERFECT and then they won’t like you anymore.

The problem — or brick wall, rather — is that perfectionism manifests procrastination. “I’m not ready yet” is the story we tell ourselves that stops us in our tracks every. damn. time.

The mantra “Progress, not perfection” is about taking consistent action and moving forward, no matter what. So if you’re sick and tired of stalling out, here are five ways to make room for progress and override perfectionism…

Don’t wait for time, make it.
Let’s face it, you’ll never be “done” with housework or emails. You’ll never find pockets of free time just sitting there waiting for you. If you wait until you “have time,” you’ll never get to it.
Be willing to start small
If you want to learn a language, you don’t start with advanced lessons. If you want to run a marathon, you have to start by running a mile. No matter what your goal is, you can’t accomplish anything without a solid foundation. The same is true for your health. Whether you want to fit into your favorite pair of jeans again, free yourself from bloating, headaches, or [insert your most nagging symptom], or you need to start with your base. Rather than making an all-or-nothing plan to overhaul your lifestyle all at once, start by setting small habits that easily fit into your current lifestyle. Which leads us to #3…
Start with repetitions, not goals
In other words, when you think about your goals, don't just consider the outcome you want. Focus on the habits that lead to that place and set yourself up for lots of realistic mini successes along the way. Maybe it’s drinking a certain amount of water everyday, or making grab-and-go lunches for the week. Keep it simple and doable so you can be consistent and take action every day.
Commit to ONE habit every morning
When you wake up, you have the whole day ahead of you. If you skitter about taking care of all the little things first, you won’t have energy for what’s really important later. To prioritize progress, do one thing that will move you forward first. In the famed words of U.S. Navy Admiral, William McRaven, “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.” Just by committing to one morning habit will train your brain for productivity and influence the rest of your day’s choices. Make it so simple that it’s a no-brainer, and piggyback it to something you already do. Like keeping a water glass next to your toothbrush and drinking a glass of water after you brush your teeth. Daily hydration: Check!
Start before you’re ready
One of the stickiest myths of perfectionism is that there will be a “right time” to do something. There is no quicker way to manifest procrastination. If you wait until you're ready, you’ll be waiting the rest of your life. There will never be enough money, you will never have enough time, you will never have read enough articles or books about how to do it. As James Clear said, “claiming you need to “learn more” or “get your ducks in a row” is just a crutch that prevents you from starting.” If you want to make any progress toward your ideal vision of wellness, you’ve got to take action. Not at the ‘right time’. Right now.

The bottom line: Everyone wants to make progress. And there is only one way to do it: take action! Not every day will go as planned. The master key to overriding perfectionism is not expecting the road to be free of bumps or detours. It’s knowing that it’s going to be a messy process and jumping in anyway. Use the mantra ‘progress, not perfection’ anytime you’re feeling stuck or afraid.