Focus on Achieving Progress, Not Perfection

“Practice makes progress”, I told the mildly attentive 7-year old softball team at the end of a long session.

A few of them glared at me with a confused look as that was not what their parents had been breathing into their ear.  “No, it’s perfect!”

I left that explanation for another day.  I felt bad. 

So much of what we’ve learned in the past is being challenged every day in the current sociological climate.  No longer is it a pandemic – it just is.

For highly successful and talented people whether it is business, entrepreneurship, athletics or parenting, the mindset must be different.  Achievement looks different.  Fulfillment is measured different.

Success is no longer measured by getting “there”.  There is no “there”.  Success is about progress in small simple steps.

The Wright Brothers ran a bicycle shop. People love to ride bicycles.

The US government was spending $2 million to get a plane in the air.

The Wright Brothers (from their tiny bike shop) were racing against the wealthy US government to fly. Who would fly first?

The US government was convinced that a plane has to fly straight or it would crash. No turbulence. ZERO imperfections else it would fail.

The Wright Brothers thought this also.

Until one day…they looked at a little kid learning to ride a bike.  He jumped on the bike and took off, he wobbled for a few seconds, and every turn he wobbled again, but soon he was off and gone. He was riding a bike.

He wobbled!

They made a plane that wobbled. The plane flew. They made history.

They beat out the government that was spending millions. They did it by focusing on progress rather than perfection.

I have a lot of imperfections. Sometimes I’m impatient.  Sometimes I don’t have enough empathy for people that deserve it.  Sometimes I’m afraid of doing things where I’m likely to fail.

I focus on being a good friend and father but it’s hard. I focus on being a good partner but I have my own insecurities.

I try to have good ideas but it’s a constant effort to keep my idea muscle exercised.

Throughout most of my career, I was thrust into positions where I was not “ready”.  I wanted to learn but I was sloppy, imperfect.  I was lucky enough to be surrounded by incredible mentors and those willing to invest in my progress.

I did not have a final Goal in mind.  Even starting and building businesses, the focus on progress always trumped some arbitrary future state.  I wanted to survive, to get better.  To progress.

I wobble.

And then, on occasion, I fly.

For many, success comes easy.  At least it used to.  Now it is less about the ultimate achievement (that winning game, that sale, that promotion, etc.). 

It is about progressing 1% each day.  It is about making good quality decisions each day.  It is about learning and becoming vulnerable to the pain, each day.

Be open to the possibility that if you had only stuck with your Goals, you would have never started with your Life.

Always go for progress, practice, persistence, pain, and then find the pleasures of life.

Be willing to wobble.