I couldn't believe this!

During the Christmas season, as packages were rolling in, I received two packages in one day that blew me away. Enclosed in back-to-back packages that I opened was a message of "progress not perfection".

Now in my book, that was an obvious synchronicity! Not one but TWO packages with the same message? This must be something I needed to be reminded of.

Since then, I've kept my eyes open for ways that I can embrace progress instead of perfection. And I've looked for ways that I can lean into this approach to life.

One place that this has been extremely helpful is in the area of exercise.

For several years, I've tried to complete a 3-month exercise program. It's laid out to do workouts 3 days in a row, then take 1 day off, and then do 2 more days and take 1 day off.

For the past few years, l've tried to make it work starting on Monday and going through Saturday. Or starting Sunday and going through Friday.

But I could never do it perfectly! Something always came up and I would miss a day I wasn't supposed to miss. So then, I would wait to start over the next week. But then it still didn't work. Which meant I never finished the dang program.

This year, I decided that instead of trying to do the program a week at a time, I would just rotate the workouts without paying attention to what day they fell on.

This way, if I miss a weekend or a day that is supposed to have a workout on it, I don't have to start over. Instead, I just start the next day on whatever the next workout in the rotation is.

So I'm not doing it perfectly!!! But in giving myself the freedom to do it imperfectly, I'm actually being more consistent…

...which means I am realizing my intention of moving my body and feeling more fit...

and this feels GREAT.

Perfection out. Progress in.

Who knew it would help me reach my goals?

Over to you. Do you have a progress over perfection story? Could you experiment with this approach and let me know how it goes for you?

Love,

Mendy