Posted by Christiana Carmichael on January 11, 2022

The Importance of Imperfection

Share On:
Facebook
Twitter

Written By Christiana Carmichael

Find Your Ambition Founder, NSCA Certified Personal Trainer, NASM Certified Nutrition Coach, Certified Yin Yoga Instructor

The Importance of Imperfection

We all know that progress doesn’t happen overnight. But, what about the bad days? Don’t they ruin our progress? How can we ever make progress if we have to keep starting over again?

The Importance Of Imperfection

One of the most prevalent things I hear from clients is “I tend to give up on myself.” Recently, I met with a new client who warned me that she mentally ‘beats herself up’ when she misses a workout, instead of forgiving herself. 

Rather than accepting this behavior as a common occurrence, although it truly is, I’ve decided to speak out and do what I can to help. I need my clients, and everyone else who relates to this, to know they’re not alone.

What do we do when a workout gets skipped or we blow it at lunch? We might blame it on our crazy schedule. We could even blame it on the lack of support from our friends. Worst case scenario, and often typically, we blame it on our ‘innate’ characteristics. We convince ourselves that it’s just ‘who we are,’ and it was only a matter of time before we messed up. We could point fingers all day, but what good does that do? What happens when we stop blaming and start embracing our imperfection?

Bad days happen. Not just to the ‘best’ of us, but to all of us. Even when we’re on top of our game, temptations continue to challenge us. On these days, the easiest solution is to give up. Unfortunately, giving up won’t get you where you want to be.

Imagine This...

You woke up early this morning, rolled out of bed, and immediately began making a nutritious breakfast (something you’d been working on.) Shortly after, you went to the gym and crushed your workout. You were back home, showered, changed, and even had time for a cup of coffee before you were off to work. 

The second you stepped into your office, you were immediately greeted by a stack of papers that needed your attention and a boat load of emails, all titled ‘IMPORTANT.’  You dived right into the thick of it and didn’t even notice your hand dipping into the candy bowl again and again. 

Fast forward to lunch time. Rather than eating the lunch you packed, you decided to hit up the fast food chain across the street because you ‘just needed to get out.’ On your way home, you were feeling pretty lousy about your choices. You debated stopping for pizza and beer because, face it, the whole day was a lost cause, right?

Rather Than Generalizing...

Ask yourself what really happened. Your day started off great: early wake-up, healthy breakfast, fantastic workout. Sure, your lunch wasn’t great and the candies didn’t help, but it doesn’t mean all progress is lost. Instead of beating yourself up for the things that didn’t go well, be proud of the things that did.

I’ll say that again. Be proud of the things you did well. Don’t ignore your misgivings, just think of how you will do better tomorrow. Tell yourself that you’ll eat the lunch you made and if you need to get away from the office, you’ll take it with you. Or, if the candy bowl is your biggest weakness, you’ll move it into the common area so it’s not a constant temptation. Remind yourself again and again, your journey is not a lost cause.

Practice Makes Perfect

In my opinion, this is one of the most overused and unrealistic statements. It labels us as failures if we are anything less than perfect. In reality, nothing we do will ever be ‘perfect.’ Rather than telling yourself ‘I’ll be perfect if I just practice,’ try telling yourself ‘I’ll make progress the more I practice.’

When we strive for perfection, we end up disappointed. When we strive for progress, perfection becomes irrelevant. Rather than asking yourself if you’ve achieved perfection, ask yourself if you see progress.

Hold Yourself Accountable

It’s far easier to hold others accountable than it is ourselves. That being said, you know yourself better than anyone else. If you’re someone who says ‘tomorrow I’ll be better,’ but that day never comes, hold yourself to this. Rather than making tomorrow better, make lunch better than your pancake breakfast, or make dinner better than your fast-food lunch. Regardless of your habits and actions, find what works for you

Break The Cycle

Put an end to the negative self-talk and beating yourself up when things don’t go as planned. Life happens, and sometimes things get in the way of our goals. Once we shift our goal from perfection to progress, we realize that life can happen and it doesn’t have to destroy everything we’ve worked for.

Final Word

If you take nothing else away from this, remember that life happens. Accept what you’ve done and be better than your mistakes. Hold yourself accountable during your best days as well as your worst. Always remember where you started. Celebrate your successes and visualize just how far you’ll go.

Free Personal Training Consultation

Find Your Ambition Offers Free Personal Training Consultations For New members. 

Sign Up Today!

Christiana Carmichael

Find Your Ambition Founder, NSCA Certified Personal Trainer

Christiana is the founder of Find Your Ambition and has a passion for helping others through personal training. She is a highly sought out fitness coach and takes pride in her ability to inspire others to reach their fitness goals.

Christiana offers new clients a free online personal training or nutrition consultation through Find Your Ambition and would love to help you take the next step on your fitness journey!

Questions? Email Us!

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *