Aim for “perfect”, but settle for “good enough”

This is my quote for the day…

“Aim for “perfect”, but settle for “good enough”.

This means, be aware of and recognise what you want in a “perfect world”, and every day strive to get there.  This can mean the perfect job, perfect girlfriend or the perfect move done with perfect technique and perfect timing. But recognise that this is not a “perfect world”, and be happy when you have something that is good enough, effective and does the job.

Picture from http://www.deddington.org.uk/community/fireservice

I have been trying to apply this rule to as many things in my life as possible.  And I was happy to have it confirmed 2 weeks ago when I was on a first aid course. The bloke taking the course was Bob the firefighter (a top bloke, really good, knowledgable and funny guy).  He gave an example… You have a badly injured casualty in a burning house.  In a perfect world, you would get a stretcher in there, pump him full of painkillers and slowly, gently ease him out…but this is not a perfect world and the fire is heading your way.  So you sling him on your back, ignore his cries of pain and get him out as quickly as possible. In other words, you do it as perfect as you and your situation will allow…but at the end of the day, you don’t waste time, you get the job done! The same thing goes for exercising/training/changing your diet.  There are too many people out there who don’t give a damn, go through the motions and so don’t get anywhere. There are also too many people who worry/fret so much about the “best/only way”, that they end up not doing anything at all…so don’t get anywhere. So this is what I try to instill in the people I train.

• Don’t be slap-dash, not bother, or do it badly.
• Don’t seize up and freeze because you are worrying too much.

But this is not an excuse to stop trying hard as hell to perfect your technique.  So remember (quick plug coming up!), if you live in or around Skipton, you can get your technique checked over in one of my Exercise Clinics. Click here to contact me, or share this with your friends who might benefit.