Better Than Perfect
“Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment, full effort is full victory.” –Mahatama Gandhi
My brain innately seeks certainty. Consequently, during in-between moments, at halfway marks, and for those times when I don’t have all of the information, my brain happily compensates. It negotiates facts, guesstimates variables, and does a mental squint to support the perceived invincibility that accompanies the feeling of certainty.
Being certain kind of feels like being in control. Pesky doubts and insecurities are mitigated. Outcomes are managed and planned for. Unfortunately, experience has shown that control or controlling is just a placebo antidote to being afraid.
It doesn’t actually remove the threat. It just makes us feel like the threat is no longer there.
I was reading an email from an old friend who, like most people, has struggled with feeling the need for control. After expounding on her activities for the day, she wrapped it up by saying, “Better is my new favorite word. Not perfect, better.” I was struck by the soft edges of her statement. Being better isn’t about being in control. It’s about incremental effort.
Is there a worthier goal than being “better”? Instead of striving for the certainty and finality of perfection, better invites us into the gray. Better is relative…gray with a benchmark.
Better is hopeful; it knows that today is just one day in a long line of days.
There is less room for shame when the goal is better. Better does not worship an external ideal; it is the revelation and manifestation of our internal potential.
It’s been said that consequences are not coincidences. As we strive, we earn the consequences of our effort. In that way, better is also motivating, because we become witnesses to our own incremental improvement raising our bar a little higher each day.
Better is my new favorite word.
Ask better. Listen better.
Do better. Sit better. Serve better. Love better.
Ahhh now…that feels better.
One Comment
Sara Keene
Well said.
My new favorite thing to say is, “Be Better.”
I say it frequently to myself and others. Perfection is unachievable, but we are all capable of being better.