Something Worth Doing

I think we’ve all heard the phrase “something worth doing is worth doing well.” I think that is a great example to fuel perfectionism. We are constantly told that we need to be putting 100% effort into everything we do, which is just not possible. That sentiment can leave us feeling frozen and down on ourselves. Never measuring up.

An alternative phrase I prefer is, “something worth doing is worth doing poorly.” (A quick Google search credits this to G. K. Chesterton, but I couldn’t confidently say this is the absolute origin). When in school, it is better to turn in a paper and get 50% than it would be to not turn it in and get 0%. If you have a sink full of dishes, washing one can make it easier to finish the rest tomorrow. One less dish. If you’re hungry and cooking feels overwhelming, maybe you just need to grab something to eat that doesn’t require preparation. Sure, you could enjoy and get more benefits from a well-cooked healthy meal, but if the alternative is not eating, you’re going to fare better with a bag of chips.

I could of course give a million examples, but it’s more important for you to think about what is important to you. What is worth doing even if it’s not perfect? What do you constantly feel bad about not doing? How could you do even a little bit of the thing you feel bad not trying?

This doesn’t mean don’t have standards or be lazy, this means that if you need to do something important to you, it’s better to start or try than to avoid it. With the caveat that sometimes that means knowing when rest is the thing that you need to be doing. We can hold ourselves to impossible standards and get so overwhelmed that we prove ourselves right over and over again. This mindset allows us to see how much we can do when we don’t hold ourselves to impossible standards.

As always, take what is helpful and leave the rest. I hope you have the week you need.