Alright, so here’s the thing—I used to be that person who had to do everything exactly as planned. Gym three times a week? YEZZIR! Even if it meant skipping other important stuff or forcing myself through a session, I wasn’t feeling.
But over time, something clicked: no single missed workout, rest day, or skipped meal prep ever really derailed me. In fact, I started noticing that when I let myself tweak a training plan, take an extra day off, or eat a little differently, my performance didn’t just stay the same—it sometimes got better. That’s when I realized it’s the sum of all the parts that matter. No single straw is breaking the camel’s back.
Take my goal of running a 15:59 5k. For a while, I was laser-focused, but it started to wear me down. I had to step back and ask: what’s the point if chasing perfection burns me out to the point where I can’t enjoy the rest of my life? Letting that goal rest for a bit didn’t make me less of a runner. I’m still the same ol’ Daren, with the same fitness—just more sane and able to show up in life without running myself into the ground.
Here’s what I figured out: You don’t need to be perfect to get where you’re going. Doing most things, most of the time, is actually enough. It’s like having a little cushion or full coverage insurance. Life gets wild and crazy; you miss a day or two—it’s fine because you’ve already been consistent.
Think of it like this: If you hit most of your workouts most of the time, you’ve built enough momentum that missing one or two won’t derail you. The same goes for your diet, your routine, or whatever else you’re working on consistently.
So maybe just chill out on the perfection if you are that personality type because doing most things, most of the time, might just be more effective than getting everything exactly right.
