Perfection is Not Required
How often do we beat ourselves up for “slipping up” on our diet? How often do we feel guilty for skipping a workout? For staying up late? For having a couple of drinks with our friends? For most people who put any emphasis on their health, the answer to these questions is likely as often as they happen.
The reason we tend to feel guilty when we “fall short” with our health is that we are chasing perfection. We expect perfection when perfection is something that humans are very rarely able to obtain and maintain.
We also chase perfection as if it is a requirement for success when rarely it is. Lebron James does not shoot 100% but he is still on his path towards winning yet another championship. Do we not consider him a success despite this lack of perfection?
The truth is that perfection is not required for success and this includes your health journey. However, this doesn't mean that we should toss our discipline out the door and start scheduling weekly cheat meals and giving in to temptation whenever it strikes. Perfection is not required but discipline is. We should always strive to do our best but since perfection is not attainable, our response to a mishap is what will define our health outcomes.
Let’s look at an analogy. If you were coaching a sports team and your best player came up short of success, would you encourage him to feel guilty about coming up short and give up or would you encourage him to get up, get back on track, and work to get better? The answer is obvious and it’s the same approach we should be taking with ourselves and our health.
Do what you know you need to do as often as you can. Have way more days eating the way you should be than not. Have way more days moving your body rather than being sedentary. Say yes to the things you need for health and no to the things you don’t as often as you can and you will achieve far better overall health outcomes compared to chasing perfection and feeling extreme guilt when you inevitably come up short.
Thanks for reading,
Chris Irvin
P.S. I had someone recently come to me with an idea of teaching live online classes. Since I love to teach, I thought this was a great idea and have decided to give it a try. There are plenty more details to hash out but since I am doing limited seats for this I wanted to extend this offer to you guys first. Here is the first course I will be offering:
Topic: Blood Sugar/Insulin Sensitivity
Who’s it for: Those who want to learn how to improve blood sugar and insulin sensitivity for themselves or clients/patients.
Class Structure: Live Lecture + Q&A, Zoom
Dates: 4 classes on Tuesday Nights (Oct. 20th, Oct. 27th, November 10th, November 17th)
Seats: 15 spots
Cost: $149
If you are interested in reserving a spot in this first course, please respond to this email or shoot me an email at theketologist@gmail.com. Thanks guys!