A lesson in half-assery
So, I’ve begun to understand that there are things in life that I’m okay with doing halfway. Not painting behind a heavy, immovable bed, not finishing a stretch after a long workout, and not vacuuming under the lower-hanging clothes in my closet when I’ve done my entire bedroom.
And when I make a decision to do things halfway, it isn’t because I’m lazy or stupid. I know that I didn’t paint behind my headboard - I see it every night. But you know who doesn’t? EVERYONE ELSE.
When I prioritize things to be done halfway, it’s because I’m prioritizing something else to be done well. I’m taking a look at what I can scrimp on for the better good, and the things that I put 100% of myself into matter more.
Today, for example, I had to do a certification at my big girl job. And, it wasn’t that I didn’t care about the recorded certification, or the ability to eliminate all filler words, or complete it with perfection. It’s that, in my personal and professional experience, it doesn’t have to be perfect to work. I don’t have to complete a perfect demo to complete a sale, and in the end, the closed won opportunity matters more than the 10/10 demo for leadership.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love to do a good job. One may say (and many have) that I have debilitating perfectionist tendencies, which have kept me paralyzed in certain areas of my life for far too long. I have changed my viewpoint on what deserves the perfectionist focus - doing everything with that level of attention leads to burnout and cynicism, two things that my therapist and I are working hard on eliminating.
My pastor shared a particularly poignant word picture once and it’s never left me: in our lives, there are balls in the air that are made of rubber and there are balls in the air that are made of glass. If you drop a rubber ball (like maybe if I fail this certification that I didn’t spend hours on preparing), it bounces and you get to try again. These balls can be things like work, laundry, and thoroughly and perfectly vacuuming a room. If you vacuum half-ass, vacuum again tomorrow. Get it?
I have learned in the last 15 months that work is a ball that can bounce. Even if it thuds at the bottom and you get laid off or fired - you can and will find another job. Is it easy? No. Can it be avoided? Probably. But this is a ball that shouldn’t take precedence over the glass ones in your life.
Because, if you drop a ball that’s glass? It BREAKS. There’s little bouncing of those balls - do-overs are nearly impossible. Kids, my marriage, friendships, family - I don’t want to let these bounce. These are the priorities in my life that I want to give my all to, and this is where I want the majority of my focus to be.
To put it simply, I’m okay with half-assing the rubber balls so that I can keep the glass ones safely in the air. Doesn’t make me stupid or lazy, it makes me discerning.
I’m curious about your thoughts here. Are you good at prioritization or is perfection in all areas of your life something you struggle with?
