Strive to be Imprefect

Due to its popularity, I have added a second volume!
See excerpts from the book!

Whatever the goal, the attempt to be "perfect" gets in the way of getting "better."

As an example, supposed you have decided to do something about those "few extra pounds" you’ve been carrying around lately. With fierce determination, you boldly announce that you’re giving up beer, desserts, and starting a 5AM walking program. "I’m going to be perfect on my program," you boast to anyone who will listen.

And you are – until the first evening.

By nightfall, the drain of annoying phone calls, interruptions, and unexpected events has you drained. You collapse on the couch, exhausted, and tell yourself, "One beer won’t hurt."

That’s true. Those 20 pounds weren’t caused by "one beer." The extra weight was actually caused by the thought that follows. As you lick the last remnants of golden foam from the glass, you think, "I blew today. I’ll start again tomorrow." That leads to one last night of scavenging the kitchen, finishing off the ice cream – and of course making sure the six pack of beer will be gone before you go to bed (so you won’t be "tempted" tomorrow).

The problem lies not in the hopps but in the thoughts. If instead of perfection, the goal had been to be "better about my health," the diet would have been off to a great start. Yet, since the measure of success was all or nothing – perfection or failure – day one fell within the loss column.

Labeling events "success" or "failure" is more than semantics. When we "fail", we seek comfort. Although "bad" behaviors might not be healthy, they are comforting. That’s why we do them. Focusing on failures therefore increases the odds of engaging in those very failing behaviors.

Conversely, success is inspirational, sharpening the senses, allowing new feelings and ideas to more to the forefront. As a result, new patterns are generated; negative behaviors are reduced. There is truth to the statement that "success breeds success."

Success comes in small steps. Failure arrives all at once. The choice of what we call it can make all the difference. This book is an inspirational approach to that choice.

Buy the book or the companion CD