Inquisitive.me

Perfect is the enemy of good.

Voltaire

I came across that quote a few years ago, and it’s lived in my head rent-free ever since. Whenever I catch myself trying to do something perfectly, it immediately pops into my mind:

Perfect is the enemy of good.

My patients struggle with this, too. If they don’t manage three training sessions in a week, they feel like they’ve failed. Perfectionism can sneak in quietly, but it’s stressful—and stress can show up as pain, injuries, or burnout.

I felt the same way during my Wings for Life prep last year—my first competition. Whenever I skipped a workout or couldn’t finish it the way I planned, I’d either get frustrated or push myself to complete it perfectly, even when my body clearly wasn’t up for it that day. I had a target time in my head and I wanted to hit it. Ambition is fine—but if it’s constantly stressful, it stops being productive.

I learned a lot during that prep. My marathon prep later on was different: I allowed myself not to be perfect. I let myself skip workouts when I felt off. I showed up, I tried, and I told myself that’s good enough. Progress matters more than perfection.

The lesson really hit home in the last few months while teaching my dog to retrieve a piece of training equipment (an Apportierholz—for the international companion dog test, if you’re curious). When I first got him, I wanted to do everything perfectly. I thought if I made no mistakes, he wouldn’t have to relearn anything. But it doesn’t work like that.

I got frustrated. He got frustrated. And the cycle just went on. Then I realized: he has to make mistakes—and it’s okay. That’s how he learns what I want from him.

It’s the same with learning any new movement. If I or my patients never try a wrong movement, how would we know what feels right? As long as you’re not lifting heavy weights incorrectly, mistakes are fine—they’re essential.

Climbing is another reminder. I fall off boulders multiple times in a row, trying, failing, adjusting, failing again—until finally, I can tell, “Yeah, that could work” or “Nope, that movement’s impossible.”

Life isn’t perfect. And it’s okay to fail. Failure is how we learn. Besides, chasing perfection wastes a lot of time. I used to spend hours trying to figure out the perfect way instead of just doing.

A friend of my brother always says: “Make quick wrong decisions.” I think it applies here too: make quick mistakes. Reflect. Learn. Try again. Do it better. It’s faster than perfection—and you actually learn along the way.

So next time you feel the urge to do everything perfectly, remember: showing up, trying, and learning from mistakes—that’s good enough.

🧪 Let’s Experiment

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Perfection won’t move you forward — progress will.

Instead of waiting for the perfect moment, perfect plan, or perfect performance, let’s practice showing up, trying, and learning in real time.

🎯 Try This:

1) The “Good Enough” Workout

Next time you plan a workout, set two goals:

• Ideal goal: (e.g., 45-minute run)
• Good-enough goal: (e.g., 15-minute jog or mobility session)

If you can’t hit the ideal, do the good-enough. Show your brain that consistency beats perfection.

2) Permission to Mess Up

Pick something you’re learning — a movement, a hobby, a new habit.

Before starting, say out loud:

“It’s okay to do this imperfectly.”

Sounds simple, but your nervous system listens.

3) Mistake Journal (1 minute)

At the end of the day, write down:

• One thing you messed up on
• What you learned from it
• What you’ll try next time

This turns “failure” into feedback.

4) The 80% Rule

Aim for 80% instead of 100%.

In training. At work. With habits.

Done > perfect.

🧠 Final Thought:

Progress is built on attempts, not flawless execution. Show up, try, adjust, repeat.

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Keep it simple, stay curious, and keep learning—you’ve got this.

Take care,

Carina 🦊