Progress Over Perfection: Dreaming in Real Time

“Hopes deferred make the heart sick.” Proverbs 13:12

I’ve been thinking. And asking myself some questions…

What does dreaming look like as an adult with grown-up responsibilities? How does one balance a mortgage and a big kid job with their aspirations? Dreams and real life are not mutually exclusive. So how does one remain steadfast to the present-and step into evolving passions?

If we are going to truly live into and out of the call on our lives, we must execute. Yes, ideas matter; but we must then DO the thing- choosing to take the risk and allowing the result to be just…ok.

I am learning to be less afraid of letting things slide a little. Instead of hiding behind the guise of endless revisions, I am allowing the finished product to be good enough. Why? Because the emotional real estate, let alone the days or years wasted in procrastination, is not worth the misery.

In my case, fear, disguised by endless research and analysis, choked the joy out of any creative pursuit. The result? Nothing got done.

“Hopes deferred make the heart sick” (Psalm 13:12) for a reason. Delaying the pursuit of a dream sucks us into the grip of perfectionism, rather than taking small, daily steps towards our goals.

So, let’s get started-and together commit to being ok with our initial efforts being just OK- giving ourselves permission to make mistakes along the way. The result? We will learn by doing. In the doing, we are on the way to being good, and one day, great at our craft. Progress is often non-linear, but progress is still progress- and that is enough.

So take the chance. Bet on yourself. Work yourself into a new way of being. Let it be good enough right now. And one day, it will be great.