Strive for Progress, Not Perfection

Have you any idea how often the people you admire got it wrong, half right, almost right, before they got it right? Making mistakes is the unenjoyable, unavoidable part of making progress. That’s why Paul said, ‘…It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.’ (Philippians 3:1 NIV) He understood that you have to keep hearing and doing it in order to get it right.

Stop comparing yourself with others. The Bible says, ‘…When they measure themselves by themselves… they are not wise.’ (2 Corinthians 10:12 NIV) Some of us are given five talents, some two, and some one. Your talents, not your wishes, determine your potential. One-talent people who make the most of what they’ve been given receive the same ‘well done’ as five-talent people. The person who gets into trouble is the one who’s afraid to take the risk; their biggest mistake is their unwillingness to make a mistake! Dr. John Maxwell says that your performance depends on your commitment to practice. ‘Consistently good practice leads to consistently good play. It sharpens your talent. Successful people understand this… and develop the discipline to do it.’ If you want to sum up what lifts most successful individuals above the crowd, you could do it in these four words: a little bit more. Successful people do what’s expected of them—plus a little bit more. So, the word for you today is—strive for progress, not perfection!