Stop Trying To Be Perfect

Too often the pursuit of perfect leads to poor self-esteem, procrastination, and burn-out.

COACH DANA CAVALEA
2 min readMar 17, 2022

Hi Team…

I wanted to share with you a quote this AM from the legendary NCAA Championship Basketball Coach, John Wooden…

“Just do the best you can- nobody can do more than that”….

That is true.

Now, let me share with you something…

Ole Coach over here- he loves to put the pressure on.. to try really, really hard.

But, at times, this is a problem because I am chasing something that does not exist….

That something is: PERFECT

It is impossible for any of us to chase something that is manufactured only in our mind- and defined differently for each person…

Why would we do that to ourselves?

What is perfect anyway?

What is perfect to me and perfect to you are totally different…

You ever watch a movie that you think is horrible- yet all of your friends think its great?

They see it as perfect, you see it as terrible.

Or, what about a meeting where you had to present?

You thought you sucked- yet, everyone in the room thought you were amazing.

Or, how about that suit or outfit you absolutely love- yet, the external fanfare is not that great…

This is why “chasing perfect” is a fraud…

When we work with MLB/ College/ Amateur hitters- we talk about this…

Some actually think they can and should get a hit every time up at bat…

This is actually WHY they struggle- it is impossible.

The best hitter of all time hit under .400- meaning he only got a hit 3.5x out of 10 at-bats….

He failed at least 7x….

So, we do not teach from the standpoint of perfect, but rather the standpoint of “doing YOUR best”, asking for help as needed, and, being as competitive as possible.

  • Did you do your best? YES.
  • Did you ask for help as needed? YES.
  • Did you compete? YES.

If you answer YES to all- you did what you were able to do.

Now, here is the thing- never look for short-cuts or the easy way.

That would mean you did not do your best.

Remember- perfect is an illusion…

A dream killer…

The ultimate procrastination tool.

Nothing is perfect…

Don’t expect it or anyone to be..

There is not perfect fit in life…

You must do your best…

That is all.

Your Coach,

COACH DANA CAVALEA

COACH DANA CAVALEA

Dana Cavalea is the World Champion Director of Strength and Conditioning & Performance of the New York Yankees. Currently, he is a High Performance Speaker & Consultant to Pro Athletes, Entrepreneurs, Business Executives, and Workforces on lifestyle strategies to reduce stress, improve work/life integration, and most importantly improve daily performance /outcomes. Book Dana to Speak at your Company Event or Conference Today!

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COACH DANA CAVALEA
COACH DANA CAVALEA

Written by COACH DANA CAVALEA

World Champion New York Yankees Director of Strength & Performance. High Performance Executive Coach. Keynote Speaker. On-Camera Talent. #trainlikeapro

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