Excellence vs. Perfection

A photo I took on my "excellent" trip to New Zealand, 2007

Do you need to do everything perfectly?

Perfectionism may seem like a good thing until you realize the ways in which it either pushed you to exhaustion or prevents you from even starting. Some perfectionists know a task can't be done perfectly, and so they don't want to do it at all. They procrastinate. Eventually, the task cannot be avoided, and so the perfectionist quickly does the task in a far from perfect manner. Then the perfectionist has an excuse: "well, of course it isn't perfect, I didn't have much time."

The fear of it not being perfect actually results in a lower quality outcome.

Only God can attain perfection. The rest of us need to settle for excellence. Things that are excellent are a better reflection of your best work. It will result in something 98% great instead of whatever you could come up with at the last minute, which is probably only 47% great.

Sound familiar? Let's talk.

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Know who your people are and spend more time with them

Event logo by Michael Sladek

Who are your people? You know the ones I'm talking about: The ones that instinctively understand you. The people who help you to define who you are. The friends you meet who you instantly feel like you've known forever, and then over the years end up knowing them "forever." Some people are just your people. I spent time with some of my people last week at the Extravaganza in Kansas City. It's an annual gathering of about 500 Lutheran youth workers. I lead part of the event, along with an amazing team of "my people". Although we work long and (sometimes inconvenient) hours, I am renewed by having touched base with my people, some of whom I have known for more than two decades. The best part is, I could feel that the whole hotel was full of people who were reuniting with their people.

These are certainly not all of my people, yet they hold a unique value for me because of how long and how deeply we have known each other. I also love this event because it really is about the people. We hold this event in various cities all over the country, but many of us never leave the hotel. It doesn't matter where we are, it matters that we are together, sharing a top-notch event. 

Know who your people are and spend time with them. It's good for your soul.

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Revisiting a Parable: The Tortoise and the Hare

The Tortoise and the Hare
From Childhood's Favorites and Fairy Stories

It's not a Biblical parable, but there is much to be learned from the parable of the tortoise and the hare. I think we are all familiar with the basic message: sprinting and then having to rest doesn't result in a win. Slow and steady wins the race. Does this apply only to marathons? Lately, I have been thinking about the ways in which this applies to other parts of life: physical, mental, spiritual. For example, consuming a bunch of caffeine or sugar to spike your energy and then crashing isn't as productive as maintaining energy throughout the day (and getting enough sleep!). Not studying the whole semester and then "cramming" for a test does not result in long term knowledge. But what about putting God (in whatever form you worship) on the back burner and then praying feverishly in times of need? Does the logic still hold? Well, God isn't always logical but there are some similarities. First of all, God will be there any time. You don't have to check in every day to earn the right to pray earnestly in times of need. But what about the rest of the time, when there isn't a crisis? God is still available and waiting for you. Those are the exciting times: whether you call it prayer, meditation, a morning practice or something else, daily connection with a higher power slowly changes you, helps you answer your unique call, and gives you strength and guidance for the day. Slow and steady wins that race.
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