Improvement Versus Perfection

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Carol Moehrle

How many times a day do you work to improve what you are doing? We see our students work to improve their reading, writing, and math skills on a daily basis. While practicing sports, we see an improvement in the stamina and skills we need to play on the team. Improvements are often slow, and the best way to measure them is to look back and see how far you have come.

I happen to be a perfectionist. It's a trait that is not always complimentary to me or to others. I started a new fitness program recently, and I wanted to be perfect on day one of my new workout. I set myself up to fail, of course, since I really am out of shape.

I had to take a very large step back and do some self-analysis of my attitude and behavior. I found that I need to accept that small improvements are to be celebrated and that we will not be perfect at most things we undertake. 

Just like children who want to be perfect when they read out loud, we adults want to be perfect when we take on new activities. 

With diet and exercise changes, I had to remind myself that I needed to take small steps and look for small improvements in the gradual changes that were occurring. Sometimes these changes don't come fast enough but in looking back I have seen great improvement.

Perfection is not attainable in most of our daily activities, but making small improvements on a daily basis will ultimately lead to steady improvement. Keep working and allowing yourself to take small steps. Improvement is on its way.

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