So focused on perfection that we miss out on excellence

Recently, a friend of mine said he doesn’t take any meetings in the mornings, so he can focus on his fitness and creative work. 

Must be nice…I thought to myself. I have morning meetings at least once a week. 

It didn’t dawn on me until later that I could also be doing that the thing I thought “must be nice” about 80% of the time. My mind went straight to the fact that every so often, one thing gets in the way. 

On one hand, this is the problem with internet language—there’s no room in the algorithm for qualifications or caveats. I’m sure my friend has to take an occasional morning meeting. 

But on the other hand, this is the problem with me—so focused on perfection that I miss opportunities for excellence. Instead of thinking I could have no morning meetings 4 out of 5 days, I think I can’t do that. Must be nice. 

We see this paradigm happen with a lot of things: health, habits, fitness, creativity. We think, if I can’t do this perfectly, I might as well not do it at all. But any fitness trainer will tell you that the best workout is the one you can actually make yourself do. 

I’m going to look out for this paradigm in other things. Times when I miss out on excellence because I can’t achieve perfection. 

Won’t you join me?