Hey Reader

This is a mindset I always get myself stuck in 😅

Any time I start a new project or goal, I expect myself to be able to do everything perfectly.

This is especially notable with habit-building goals. I have this unspoken expectation that I need to hit all seven days a week, every week for me to be doing it "right".

But then life happens 😝

Something sets me back, even in a small way, which means the perfect plan I laid out for myself can't happen in exactly the way I planned it.

Cue the “well, I’ve already messed up, so I may as well not bother” mindset.

You know the one, right?

You have a goal, you make a plan, you start strong. And then one thing doesn’t go exactly to plan and suddenly you’re throwing the whole thing out the window.

"I'll just start again tomorrow, or next week, or next month" 🥲

I used to do this all the time, especially with my physical health goals.

If I skipped a walk or ate something outside of my meal plan, that would often be enough to convince me the whole day was a write-off. I’d fall into that all or nothing mentality, and “nothing” usually won.

But this year I’ve been actively trying something different.

The idea - You can make more progress without perfection

So often we let our self-expectation of perfect hold us back from action. Or, when we've been taking action, we let that expectation derail us when we do something imperfectly.

A mindset I'm working to build for my goals at the moment is considering how I can make some progress even if it's not perfect progress.

Rather than focusing on hitting my high expectations at 100% every single day, I'm aiming to see how I can nudge myself in the right direction in any way I can.

My current focus is building better routines to support my physical health through nutrition and movement.

While previously I've aimed for "all or nothing", this time I'm not making perfect the target.

Some days, I feel up to getting outside for a walk first thing in the morning. Other days, the idea of a morning walk sounds horrible, so I’ll move it to later in the day. Sometimes the weather’s lowkey horrid and I end up doing laps around the house instead. Eventually I'll meet a day where walking isn't viable, so my "movement" might just be stretching.

The same goes for food. I’m no longer seeing one unplanned snack or change in my meal plan as the end of my efforts. Instead of falling off completely and staying there, I'll just pick back up at the next meal. One imperfect moment doesn’t undo everything I’ve been working towards.

And you know what? I am making progress, even if imperfectly 😄

Here’s what my progress has looked like since the start of the year:

Is it linear? Nope. Is it always predictable? Definitely not. But it’s progress. And it’s happening because I’m not letting the idea of "perfect" get in my way 💪

Let’s take action

Thinking about a goal you've been working on, ask yourself:

Remember: You don’t have to get it 100% right to get results, you just have to keep going.

Progress doesn't require perfection.

Until next time!

- Jess

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