Making Progress is Messy

You don’t have to get it right the first time. You just have to keep trying.

Perfection isn’t the goal. Getting to where you want to be is the goal.

Often that is an ugly process. It’s messy. Full of the human things that cause frustration and confusion.

You’re going to make mistakes along the way.

You’re going to get your feelings hurt.

And probably hurt other people accidentally along the way.

Which is why it matters that you focus on forward progress — not how far away you still are from your goal.

In truth, the only way you can measure your progress is by taking the time to look back at how far you have come.

The future is always in the distance. More and bigger and better — they’re all in the distance.

No matter how hard you try and for how long you try, there will always be room to improve.

Perfection isn’t possible.

That’s not an excuse to avoid doing the hard things that drive personal improvement.

Your perspective is what matters — the thoughts you allow to circulate inside your head.

You’re in the business of trying. You’re in the business of giving maximum effort.

Nothing could, should, and will hold you back from getting closer to where you want to be.

You might stumble. You might fall. But you’re going to get back up and keep moving towards your goal.

Your journey isn’t a dance recital. Being pretty and perfect isn’t how you get scored.

Press On. Keep trying. Stop comparing yourself to those who seem like they’ve got it all going on.

Be too busy to worry about anything other than just taking the next step.

Messy progress is better than no progress at all.

Originally published at danwaldschmidt.com on March 28, 2017.