We have all heard the adage before, “Practice Makes Perfect.” Imagine, practicing something until you are actually perfect…without flaw in every way…supreme…is this possible? In a word, no. This ideology, if taken to heart, can lead one to a life of constant stress and undue worry and a complete and total lack of self satisfaction. You see, perfection is a concept that is nearly if not completely unattainable. Man, by nature, is not perfect. Add to that the fact that doing something “perfectly” certainly contains an air of subjectivity and you will quickly realize why trying to attain the status of being PERFECT is a true lesson in futility.

Let’s take, for instance, the state of your body and how it looks. Imagine that you are in fantastic shape (ok, I am sure you are, but pretend someone who is reading this is NOT…) You have about 8% body fat and your tummy is ripped. Your shoulders are rounded and chiseled and every line in your biceps and triceps is defined and your legs look like they belong on a statue. You have worked hard for this body and it is perfect…ALMOST. Most people that get their body to this level are never fully happy. They can always lose a bit more body fat, or get their arms just a bit bigger. The goal of becoming PERFECT is never ending and thus leads to a constant state of being “not quite there.” The closer you get to perfection, for some, the further you are. Now, most of us would LOVE to be in this situation. We would LOVE to have a ripped and skinny body and we would be happy with our bodies should we attain this high level of fitness. For those that are stuck in the state of needing to be perfect, however, this can lead to an unhealthy obsession. These individuals will go to incredible lengths to reach their goal. The trouble is, their goal, being PERFECT, may never be reached…at least in their minds. They may take steroids, diet pills, quit eating altogether, or any number of other unhealthy measures.

Now, let’s take a look at the other side of the coin. You are 250 lbs, not in very good shape, and personally, you are happy as a clam! You have no goal of getting the perfect body and are not really concerned with the whole health and fitness craze. Your body is ample, and you are proud of it. While this person may be happier and more satisfied than one who is striving for perfection, their state of mind may not be that desirable either. You see, life IS about progress. It IS about getting better, being more productive, and moving forward. This does not mean we have to focus every bit of our energy on being perfect, but it does mean that we should try to work on improving ourselves throughout our life. The person who is overweight and unhealthy and happy with themselves is not doing themselves a service. They are perhaps better off in their state of mind, but their state of body may be just as unhealthy as the person in our previous example. So, should we strive to be perfect, or just be happy with what we’ve got? How about somewhere in the middle…

If you work to improve yourself, and are happy with those improvements, then you can live a healthy and satisfied life no matter WHAT your goals are. Life is a process and if you are always trying to get better and you strive for PROGRESS versus PERFECTION, you stand a much better chance at being happy and satisfied with your life and where you are at any particular time. Be realistic, strive to better yourself and realize that if you are pushing yourself forward in a healthy and productive way then you already ARE perfect…