Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up. – Dean Karnazes
Do you think Michael Jordan made his first jumper?
Do you think Tiger Woods made his first chip shot?
Do you think Michael Phelps made his first turn smoothly?
Absolutely not.
So, why do we think that lack of perfection is the reason we should not take the first step towards perfection?
Just Do It
Nike’s slogan of Just Do It is a prime example of what it takes to get a little closer to perfection.
The correlation to success directly ties to just doing it, something, whatever that may be.
When Jordan, Woods, and Phelps took that first step towards the goal of achieving A, B, or C, they set in motion the opportunity to achieve more than their current state. Progress. That’s what they saw when they arrived earlier than everyone and left later. They weren’t so focused on how many they failed at as they were how many opportunities they were wasting by not just doing it.
Try to block out failure as anything other than one step closer to success. Take the negative connotation away from failure and spin it into the positive it truly is.
Accepting Failure
I try to look at every goal as an opportunity to fail…royally fail.
A long time ago, I started accepting failure and started doing something. Though I wish I was perfect I am not and will never be. Now, I just start doing something…anything and I find myself closer than I was prior to doing anything.
To get a little closer to perfection, I start by trying not to be horrible then move on towards not being embarrassing and follow that by not being too bad then okay and on to good and progress to better until I get to great.
If you notice, I didn’t start at good or better. I started by just not being horrible. I don’t expect perfection and along the way, I move closer to perfection. No one, not even the pro’s today, started as champs. They strove to be champs, allowing failure to fuel their continued efforts towards perfection.
I Always Feel Better After
One of my favorite running quotes is that of Dean Karnazes. Sure, the one at the top is great, but there is one that always gets me going and it goes as follows, “No matter how I feel before a run, I always feel better after.” Short and sweet, but spot on. After about 99.5% of all runs and/or workouts, I can say I feel better than before the workout and that is just for doing something, anything.
There is rarely a time where practicing anything that will help you get closer to your goal will make you more depressed. Sure, you may not want to run that 15 mile training run, but once you have done the practice, you tend to feel better thereafter.
Don’t believe me? Commit to 5 minutes right now to doing something that gets you closer to your goal. Want bigger muscles? Do 50 push ups in the next 10 minutes. Want to make progress towards running your first 5k? Run, jog, walk, crawl or whatever to the corner right now. After spending just 5 minutes doing anything, I GUARANTEE you will feel better than you did prior.
Just Start
At the very least, pity me. Just start doing something. Start practicing something that moves you nearer to perfection.
When I just start doing it, I end up finding myself in a much better place than when my butt was just sitting watching Jordan, Woods, and Phelps accomplish the things I knew I could do. So, who do you want to be? Those champs or the lazy bum on the couch.
photo credit: Mr Taboacid via photo pin cc
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