Switch to the “Progress, Not Perfection” Mindset, and Get More Done
Spring is such a beautiful time; a time of renewal and planting seeds for a fall harvest. It’s that time of year, where 4 months in, the goals we set in January tend to fall by the wayside or put on the backburner (no shame though, friend; I’ve definitely experienced that myself, in fact, AM experiencing that as we speak!).
Well, I’m here with a gentle and friendly reminder (on behalf of those beautiful goals of ours), that we CAN do this! That we absolutely, 100% CAN make progress towards what we want to do in life and who we want to become. I come as a messenger because I KNOW deep down in my heart that those goals mean something to you (because mine mean something to me!). So I’m here to share with you HOW I am currently getting back to my goals and making that progress, so you can too (wooohooo!!).
MY CURRENT SECRET IS….cultivating the mindset of “progress, not perfection.”
THIS IS GOLD! I promise!!
Growing up, I always aimed for the high grades because that’s what my parents expected of me (though, they also backed that up with “it’s also what you learn”). And as I started achieving and being at the top of my class, I noticed how good achievement felt. However, after school, it’s not how the real world works necessarily; it’s more of a puzzle.
So what I found was that in my job as a physical therapist, as a health and fitness coach, and striving towards other goals, I would strive for my idea of perfection. This ended up putting a A LOT of pressure on my shoulders, and was unhappy if I didn’t feel that I was doing something 100%perfectly!
Sound familiar?
It’s only been within the past several months that I’ve CLEARLY noticed what this perfection mindset was doing in my life (procrastination, being unhappy with projects, and having a disastrous “all or nothing” mentality) and have actively been working to reverse it.
So rather than procrastinating or waiting for those “ideal conditions,” or the project to be “perfect” I’ve started to just go for it, to just do my best and get it done. And ya know what?!
I LOVE IT!!!
I’ve made more progress on my goals in the past 3 months than I probably have in twice the time last year. Ironic, eh?!
So, friend, no matter what your goal is or goals are, no matter the area, I know it’s important, because YOU made it, and I want to help you get there.
So how can you cultivate this beautiful “progress, not perfection” mindset?
Here are the steps I use; you can do them all or individually based on your preference:
1. Break up your goal into bite size, actionable pieces. For example, if it’s your goal to run a marathon, but you haven’t ran in years, the first step might just be going for a walk around the neighborhood, or downloading a plan or app that’s to your liking that slowly ramps up your running mileage and frequency.
2. Add deadlines to your action items or goals, and hold yourself accountable by telling friends and family.
3. Try to make some sort of step or progress towards your goal each day or week; that’s between 52-365 action items towards your goal, something’s gotta move forward from there! Even if it’s just 20 minutes a day, that adds up to about 121 hours in a year! IMAGINE what you can get done!!
4. If you are procrastinating on taking action, ask yourself “how can I break this action item down even further?” it might be one item spread out over a few days or weeks even. The idea is to make any action item less overwhelming so that it’s small enough to take action on (again, even if it’s 20 min a day).
5. Keep track of the small steps and actions your taking or any other progress your making, how you’re feeling, etc. I recommend a journal, online document or app with a cloud (I use all the above for tracking my progress!). Adding to it creates motivation and inspiration. Plus it’s so great seeing how far you’ve progressed (because I know you will!).
So there you have it, 5 ways to switch from a perfection mentality to a progressive one.
It’s a journey, my friend, so be patient and kind to yourself along the way.
Now I’d love to hear what you think! Comment below or email me at hello@jasmineraecoaching.com on your goals that have been on the back burner and which piece of advice above is your favorite that you plan to put into action?
xo, jasmine
