Make it Happen Monday: Perfection

Do you strive for perfection in all that you do?  Of course we all set out to do our best in all we’re involved with….including cycling, but is the pursuit of perfection hampering you from the results you are looking for?  Have a read through what my man, Joel from Reasons2Ride has to say about striving for Perfection.

Perfection

by Joel Phillips

Darryl and I first talked in December about a guest blog.  I initially wanted to do something about the physical fitness benefits I’ve been receiving from bicycling.  It had to be good though, not just me spinning the same subject material into my words, but something that would stand out, something special.  I won’t lie.  I’m very intimidated by the quality of content generated by Loving The Bike and its contributing guest bloggers.  So I’ve been deliberate and calculating…searching for just the right angle and the ideal way to tie it into bicycling.  I told Darryl it had to be PERFECT!  Darryl said, “Just relax and just let your Joelness flow”.  I then started to think about that word, “perfect”.  I don’t ever remember looking it up in a dictionary because I always thought I knew the definition.  Out of curiosity I went to the bookshelf, retrieved the dictionary my best friend’s mother gave me before I left home for college back in 1985, and looked-up “Perfect”:

per·fect [adj., n. pur-fikt; v. per-fekt] adjective

1…conforming absolutely to the description or definition of an ideal type

2…excellent or complete beyond practical or theoretical improvement

3…entirely without any flaws, defects, or shortcomings

As I was reading the definition, warning sirens were blaring and flashing red lights lit up my brain.  Critical mass overload was eminent.  I realized a “perfect” blog was the last thing Darryl would expect.  You see, after reading the actual definition, I understand how ridiculous it is.   First off, if you follow Loving The Bike at all, you’ll know the first definition given, “conforming absolutely to the description or definition of an ideal type” is so anti-Loving The Bike it’s laughable.  The second definition makes mention to “beyond practical”, well exCUSE ME, if something isn’t practical, ether beyond or before, then isn’t it impractical?  To be sure, I looked up the definition for “impractical”, and didn’t have to read too far beyond “not sensible or realistic” to answer my own question.  Finally, the third definition; entirely without any flaws, defects or shortcomings…isn’t this really the nuts and bolts of who we are, our flaws, our defects, our shortcomings?  Don’t they help define us as individuals?  The way I see it, perfection leaves no room for love, and I don’t want to be a part of that world in any way, shape or form.

Maybe I’ve gone off the deep end here, but it seems too often we get caught up in semantics.  I think about what I’ve accomplished during the past 10 months, and what I have yet to accomplish.  I reflect on the struggles I’ve endured and hold my head high, knowing I am well prepared for whatever might lie before me.  I listened to my heart and followed my passions with little regard to what people thought, because I BELIEVE in what I am doing.  My personal and professional goals never included the pursuit of perfection, and I’ve made tremendous strides.  When I allowed myself to pursue perfection, (with this blog post), I dragged my feet, and looked for excuses.  It made me think “perfect” is a cop-out. It’s a way we can give-up without really admitting to ourselves we are giving up, because it sounds so profound.

Joel Phillips is a lover of life, training to ride over 400-miles through the Rocky Mountains in June, encourages others to ride bikes, and is fighting obesity.  You can find out more about him at his blog, www.reasons2ride.com.