Like many people, I probably spend too much time on the computer. While most of that time is spent doing program preparation for clients and work, or doing fitness related research, there are those times that I get side tracked by that silly little youtube video with the cute dog or cat, or one of those advertisements that pop up with the fitness gear that you decide you have to have, even though you already have four of them. And sure enough, the next thing I know I have wasted 30 minutes, or $50, or both.
I don't remember what I was looking for, but this time I got pulled into the Forbes blog. After reading a posting by Margaret Perlis about excellence versus perfection, I realized that it "perfectly" explains why so many people fail to stick with a fitness program. They simply "fail" to reach their idea of perfection so they believe they have failed at fitness.
According to Perlis, perfection is "pedantic, binary, unforgiving and inflexible". She allows that there are instances, as in performance athletics like diving and gymnastics, that perfection is necessary to establish standards. But chasing such an ideal is like chasing a dream, and coming up anything short of a ten, or perfection, is often viewed as failure. In fact, anxiety, low self-esteem, obsessive compulsive disorder, substance abuse, and clinical depression are all conditions that are ascribed to perfectionism.
Excellence, on the other hand, is an attitude. It is not black and white, nor is it someone else's ideal. It is not an endgame, but rather a sustainable way of functioning. According to Perlis, excellence "is far more forgiving, allowing and embracing failure and vulnerability on the ongoing quest for improvement. It allows for disappointment, and prioritizes progress over perfection."
We can't keep track of the number of times that a participant has come into our training and told Katie that they want her legs, or told me that they want my abs. Well, you can't have them! And it's not because we are selfish and don't want to share. Actually, Katie probably doesn't want to share her legs until her marathon is over. Instead, it is because you are perhaps wanting to attain something that is merely your perception of perfection, and we certainly don't think our respective legs and abs are perfect, but just the better part of our imperfect bodies :-)
We have mentioned many times how important it is that our goals are realistic and attainable. If your one and only, and perhaps unrealistic goal, is to lose 30 pounds when you begin a fitness program, it is easy to lose sight of all the smaller, but very positive improvements along the way.
I would love to be able to perform cheetah runs and burpees with the power, speed and athleticism that Emily displays, or be able to perform the flat-as-a-board, amazing push up that Holly can do, but it is NEVER going to happen for me in my body. But that doesn't mean I will give up and quit doing cheetah runs or push ups. I will continue to strive for improvement and excellence, but forget about perfection.
