Perfection is El Torro Poopoo

[Runner-up for the title of this piece was “Perfection is Bovine Feces”. Only time will tell if I chose wisely…]

Last week we talked about the practice of “Moving Relationships to the Right”. This week we are turning our focus toward consistency and NOT beating ourselves up for missing perfection. Let’s kick it off with a poem:

I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am completely at your command.
Half the things you do you might just as well turn over to me, and I will be able to do them quickly, correctly.
I am easily managed – you must merely be firm with me. Show me exactly how you want something done, and after a few lessons, I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great people; and alas, of all failures as well. Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with all the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of a human being.
You may run me for a profit or turn me for ruin – it makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me, and I will place the world at your feet.
Be easy with me and I will destroy you.
Who am I?

I AM HABIT.

–Anonymous

My favorite line in that poem reads: “I am the servant of all great people; and alas, of all failures as well. Those who are failures, I have made failures.” That line means a lot to me because I firmly believe that our choices and habits dictate where we end up in life more so than our circumstance (race, religion, sexuality, etc.). Mike Vacanti, a popular fitness and life vlogger, has these great shirts:

Consistency over perfection: a constant reminder that you don’t have to “get it right” 30 out of 30 days, you just have to get it right 26 out of 30 to see significant progress. I think that especially holds true in being successful in this week’s three domains:

1. I never meet the “right” guy/girl.
2. Why do I always do that?
3. No Money Mo Problems.

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

I never meet the “right” guy/girl. I used to laugh in college when I heard this type of statement. Inevitably it came from someone who spent two or three nights a week in a bar or club and wondered why they weren’t finding quality dating material. (Fear not – this is not turning into a dating advice column. It’s just an example.)

If you want to find more like-minded, driven people then you have to increase your probability of running into them. Expanding your network by stepping out of your comfort zone allows you to form the foundation relationships necessary for personal growth and success.

Depending on your goals, the locations, events, and groups you’ll need to interact with will differ. Here are some places to start…

Meetup.org
Professional Associations
Religious Organizations/Clubs
Facebook Groups
Entrepreneurial Groups (Cadre, Entrepreneur’s Organization, etc.)

**Action: Decide to step out of your comfort zone. Find a group that has like-minded philosophies and expand your personal network.**

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Why do I always do that? Well, the answer is pretty simple. As we’ve grown up and matured, we’ve each established a mentality and personality. How sharp are your self-examination skills? Have you looked closely at your personality type to discover why you do what you do? While there are countless online questionnaires, I suggest starting with these three for self-discovery:

DISC Profile
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
Winslow Personality Profile

Be introspective. Being self-aware is key to personal growth and expansion.

My Myers-Briggs is ESTJ. Consider sharing yours in our private Three Action Thursday Facebook Group.

**Action: Conduct a personality audit. Become a bit more self-aware. I’d start with DISC and Myers-Briggs. It shouldn’t take you long to discover some of your natural and developed tendencies.**

PERSONAL FINANCE

No Money Mo Problems. An online “magazine” I read often, The Hustle, just covered one of my favorite financial subcultures. (Did you know there are personal finance subcultures? There are!) They recently covered the “Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE)” movement, and I think they did a pretty good job of explaining the premise. Check out this piece, “How to Retire Early”.

In it, you learn a ton about FIRE and its origins, along with its siblings, FatFIRE and LeanFIRE. For further reading on this movement, I’d encourage you to surf the FIRE SubReddit on Reddit.com.

**Action: Read up on FIRE. Is there a personal finance subculture that fits your plan? Do you have a plan yet? Perhaps you can develop a modified FIRE plan based on your circumstance. **

Until next week,

PS