A lot of us have been told, “Practice makes perfect.” We heard it from our parents and teachers when we were growing up. We still hear it now at work and all over in the media. It’s everywhere. Some of us really believe this and internalize the feeling of failure when we don’t achieve perfection. The guilt of never being able to complete the excellence we imagine can wear us down. It leaves us stretching ourselves for targets that we’ll never, ever hit.
Perfection doesn’t exist.
Why are we setting ourselves up?
It doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t do our best and put in the effort. It’s just that our best is all we have. Trying to pour from an empty cup will just leave us feeling unsatisfied and guilty. It can really break a person down.
It’s good to take on a challenge and grow, even if it’s difficult. I want to emphasize setting realistic expectations for ourselves. Knowing that we all make mistakes is one of those. There isn’t a person in this world that has done something perfect every time. Does it make them wrong? Nope! It makes them human. Can a person seem perfect? Sure. It means that they have practiced something over and over because…
Practice makes progress!
There is no absolute ending. It just means that the more you practice, the more mistakes you will make, the better you will get. Your progress is enough.
