Define Perfection:  The need to be flawless, such that no more improvements or growth need to exist because you have reached the pinnacle of a goal, your final destination.

Progress is the gradual, continued increase of your knowledge and skills.  Building on a daily concept of growth in knowledge and skills without a final destination in mind.
The difference is PACE.  Pace associated with perfection is rigid and unflexible, it is an all-or-nothing mentality, and it is concerned with only the end result.  Nothing in between matters!
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PACE and progress are steady and sustainable, you are flexible because you know that things and people on your path to success, matter.  Your continued growth and success depend on the people around you.  It matters who is in your lives that challenge you, question you, and push you, even if it means you need to be somewhere else.

How do we seek to make progress in our lives every day or as a driving force in our lives?  First, it is your mindset.  Knowing that living a flawless life means everything you do is flawless and the people you count on are flawless.  This is unhealthy and unrealistic!

Instead, think every day that when you wake up life carries an opportunity to grow in success and failures, and you will learn from both.  For your mind and skills to grow, you will need to open your mind to other possibilities.  A place where other people are as smart if not smarter than you.  This will allow you to react as a sponge and take in more information, to learn more.  Second, every day you must be adaptable to people and situations you have no control over.  Anyone, can make mistakes, learn to change, find a new corrective direction, and be adaptable.  People around you make mistakes so you will need to be adaptable.  Thirdly, be persistent.  When you run into struggles and challenges, a progressive mind knows only to persevere.  If you grow, you need to be fighting the good fight all the time.  No one who gives up in life or when facing challenges ever grows into someone who can be relied on.
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Your progress depends on your unwavering character inside.

There is an element of both “progress” and “perfection” that can be the driving force, that determines the difference between success or stress.  Pride is the element that can - either drive you to do more, or it will hold you hostage and get you to do things you can’t.  Since no person is perfect, why do we strive to be, what we are not?  Pride is an important ingredient, but pride has to be controlled.  It is called humble/pride.  It is taking the recognition we owe ourselves that we are special, unique, and hard-working, and controlling that element that says the only reason I am doing anything is to seek recognition from others, or a need to stand on a soap box and want the world to see us.  Is it the title or the tasks that drive you?  A title is what gets printed on a plaque or on a door, it serves only to show off a name.  A task is something that is accomplished through hard work.

You should take pride in your work as you are striving for excellence.  Recognize the support and resources being used by others.  That continued growth is our purpose and never a final destination.

Why do we place such credence on the word "perfect?" to the point where we want our lives modeled after perfect people?  At least it appears that they are perfect and living the perfect lives.  Famous people, we may have envied because it appeared they had perfect lives.  Robin Williams is a perfect, happy, go-lucky guy who seems to have mastered his life.  He was an admired actor and comedian.  Who seemed to respect everyone including his own talents and skills.  He battled depression!  Marilyn Monroe, Princess Diana, Whitney Houston, and Albert Einstein, were all very successful or so it seemed, battled depression and anxieties on their way to living perfect lives, that ended with turmoil and tragedy.

Stop trying to elevate yourself to an unattainable level.  Instead, live a life where struggles and mistakes are a part of your life.  Where challenges encourage you to do better, but not perfect.  Understanding your flaws is as much of your foundation as your successes.  For me, my mistakes are most of my foundation, more so than my successes.  We will never be perfect because of our accomplishments, we will be solid because of our mistakes.
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Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.  Progress

On the surface, being perfect sounds like a wonderful aspiration for everyone. To be perfect, flawless, without weakness, lacking nothing, means that we are not susceptible to pain, worry, or faults.  We have achieved what no one can.  Except you can’t achieve perfectionism, any more than I will learn to fly without an airplane.  Being perfect is a goal filled with turmoil, stress, defeat, dissatisfaction, and disappointment.

Being perfect is not, and should not be the goal of our lives.  It should be the journey of being excellent.  Even saying these words together should give you a picture of one that is attainable, and one that is not.  “I want to be perfect”. or “I want to be excellent”.  Being excellent still possesses the ideal that you will still work hard for a level of myself that wants to be better than average.  Don’t get me wrong, being average is good, being less than average is not.  But do you want more for yourself?  Then being above average is pushing your strengths even further than they are right now.  That is progress!  Always reaching for a progression, knowing that our world changes so we can only prepare ourselves for the next battle.  Because there are no final successes when you think you are perfect.

The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake.  You can’t learn anything from being perfect!

Do you know what it takes to get to perfection?  Well, YES, everything, every answer, every solution, every possibility has been anticipated, accounted for, and prepared for.  There is and never will be a better solution.  Hopefully, that sounds as absurd as I intended it to be.  There is no such thing as perfection.  By whose standards are we measuring?  Does it meet current social standards, will this level of achieved perfection stand the test of time today and tomorrow?  People evolve all the time, and hopefully for the better.  This means standards, outlook, and, how we understand events work in our lives, change all the time as well.

So if we don’t shoot for perfection, then what should we shoot for?  A level of understanding that acknowledges that in this current time and place, we have achieved a level of satisfaction that exemplifies us, not someone else.  The pursuit of excellence.  In our pursuit of excellence, we need to be proud to progress so that we can place our signature of approval at the bottom.  We are proud of what we see and have done.  Excellence requires a level of “Self-confidence”, and it comes from not comparing our achievements to others' achievements, nor are we trying to work so perfectly that no one else can mimic our ambition.  Personal growth depends on the idea, I can improve myself every time I work, and make mistakes while progressing forward.

​The pursuit of perfection interferes with our own level of improvement but can help us to chase after excellence!

In a world that often glorifies perfection, it's easy to feel paralyzed by the fear of falling short. Whether it’s chasing a career goal, building healthier habits, or learning a new skill, the pressure to "get it right" can stop us in our tracks before we even begin. But the truth is, growth doesn’t come from perfection—it comes from progress.

Progress is about showing up consistently, even when the conditions aren’t perfect. It’s about putting in the effort, embracing the learning process, and being okay with mistakes. Every small step you take—no matter how imperfect—brings you closer to where you want to be. The key is to focus on what you can do today, instead of obsessing over what you think the outcome "should" look like.

One of the most freeing realizations is that perfection is an illusion. Striving for it often leads to burnout, procrastination, and frustration. On the other hand, progress is tangible and attainable. When you celebrate small wins, you build momentum, confidence, and resilience. Those tiny, incremental improvements compound over time, leading to massive change.

The pursuit of perfection also stifles creativity and growth. Mistakes aren’t failures—they’re opportunities to learn and adapt. Progress means embracing these imperfections, understanding they’re part of the journey, and allowing yourself the grace to grow at your own pace.

So, let go of the all-or-nothing mindset with the next set of blogs that will touch on progress versus perfection.

Day 1: What is perfection? What should we shoot for?
Day 2: On the surface of Perfection, if it’s not perfect, then what?
Day 3: Comparing the Chase for Perfectionism
Day 4: Pride in Progress & Perfectionism
Day 5: How to seek progress using a mindset and Three opportunities to grow
Day 6: Set your PACE.
 
Instead of waiting for the "perfect moment," start where you are with what you have. Whether it’s writing a paragraph, running for ten minutes, or meditating for two, every step counts. Remember: perfection isn’t the goal—progress is. Keep moving forward, and you’ll be amazed at how far you can go.