Better

When I do chores, I have a fairly simple rubric:  it has to be better at the end than at the beginning.  Maybe I did not sweep up every single leaf in the yard or get every last weed.  Maybe I could have done slightly more scrubbing in the tub.  But I am satisfied if the end result is an improvement.

The beauty of this rubric, which makes it particularly applicable to fitness as well as chores, is that it rewards progress.  Many of us have perfectionist tendencies.  The desire to Do It Right can get in the way of doing it at all.  We might not be able to spend two hours a day at the gym completing exemplary reps for every single muscle group, plus cardio, warm-up, cool-down, flexibility work, balance training, and mindfulness.  But a ten-minute walk outside at lunch time can do wonders for our mood and will, in fact, help us along our fitness journey.  It might even encourage us to do it again.

In this fallen world, none of us gets to be absolutely perfect.  Let’s work to be just a little bit better instead.