A Commitment to Doing things badly
I think I have finally done it. I have accepted my perfectionism and recognized how it keeps me from accomplishing great things over time. The commitment to skate the hardest or fastest or swim the farthest I have to date is a daunting one. If I did yoga every morning I would feel so much better every day. But I know I just won’t do it. I have committed to doing things badly. As a retired rollergirl, it feels good to skate four times a week with my skating buddy, but it is a relief to say no to the extras (speed practice in Indy, marathon training, that extra game of chase the bunny).
I wanted to add variety and maintain consistency, so I returned to swimming, but only once a week. I commit to a minimum of 20 pool lengths as slowly and badly as I like. Sometimes I go fast. Sometimes I take breaks. Whatever. You're in the pool. Good job!
I wanted to add regular stretching, so I started attending a yoga sampler for 30 minutes at lunch once a week. No expectations of taking the practice home to do in the mornings. No self-admonition when I hang out in a relaxation pose while the rest increase the intensity. Just show up once a week. That I can do.
I’m considering writing. You may point out that I’m writing right now. True. I’m writing briefly and badly. Or maybe I’m writing well. But the point is, I’m not trying to write well. I’m prepared to write badly in order to learn if I like writing. I’m prepared to exercise badly to see if it feels good. I’m prepared to cook badly to learn what I really like. I’m prepared to do some half-ass cleaning in my house so that at some point, I’ll get on a roll and maybe it will feel clean regularly. I’m prepared to do a crappy job landscaping my yard so when I make changes next year, it will be closer to what I want.
The added benefit of the commitment to doing things badly is I have energy to do the really important things well. Commitments I have made to others. Learning my next career step. Safety. There are some standards you do not mess with. But I have found that the expectation of doing something perfectly makes me do it badly or not at all, whereas the intention to do something badly gets me started, and then I am usually pleased with the quality of the result.