The best is the enemy of good.
Voltaire
While I have never been a perfectionist in the things that I do, a lot of the things that I haven't done probably have been influenced by me planning on doing it, but never quite finding the "right" thing to do to start. It is something that I have identified in other parts of my life observations too, where no matter how much knowledge is held, the piece of knowledge to start applying what is know, seems to be missing.
Practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.
Vince Lombardi
This is true. But if we don't know what perfect practice is, it is probably better to start applying what we do know and learn from trial and error to improve what we know, making gains on the way, rather than keep theorizing. And not only this, we also have to realize that if we want a change of state, the practice part is important. They say that we shouldn't keep doing the same thing over and over because if we do we don't change, but that isn't completely true, is it?
Doing the same thing over and over doesn't keep our results the same, because we are strengthening the pathways in our brain, building habits, as well as strengthening the muscles that we are using. The more reps we do in the gym, the stronger our muscles become and similarly, the more we do anything the stronger we become. Sure, if we aren't "perfect practicing" we are not optimizing our time spent, but in support of Voltaire, it might not be perfect, but good practice is better than no practice at all.
The smallest deed is better than the grandest intention.
I have lived my life with a lot of intention, but have I really applied it, or has it been more in the head? I suspect in the head, and I suspect that it is pretty common amongst people, where the feeling of doing something is often enough, without actually doing something. A lot of the "social movements" don't Actually move the majority of people, other than in their head. There is mental motion, but physical stagnancy.
While I might be pretty hard on myself at times, I do recognize that compared to some possible alternatives, I have done okay overall. However, okay isn't good, and it is very, very far away from the impossible perfect. What I do know is that at the time I did what I did, no matter what my intention, it was the best I could do. However, I hope that through my experience and what I have learned along the way, the best I can do is better than what it was in the past.
The key to getting better lies in the repetition, feedback, adjustment and reapplication. The repetitions will change form over time as new conditions are met, just like increasing weights at the gym as muscles get stronger. One area I have applied this successfully (in my opinion) is that through repetition, I have become a writer. Maybe not a great writer, but a consistent writer that benefits from the process of writing.
A lot of us seem to be waiting to do something consistently, but all we end up doing consistently, is waiting. Waiting for inspiration, motivation, or better conditions. Waiting for when we know enough to start, or have healed from the past. Waiting for others to do something first before we act, and waiting for that moment that we feel ready.
If we accept that we are always a work in progress, we are always ready to start.
So, why is it so hard?
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]