Your "Best" Life Is Killing You.

I recognize a pattern of planning to avoid working. It stems from a fear of wasting time, yet it ends up being the very thing that wastes time. There are a million ways to get from point A to B—and I'd spend eternity analyzing them all to see which way is best.

But what is this 'best' that my mind hyper-sexualizes? It feels like a fetish, an itch I can never scratch.

What is this “best”?

Today, I did what I planned to do. I went to the park and wrote at a picnic bench. The where and what to write unfolded as I went. On my bike ride to one park, I decided to go to another, and once at the picnic table, I began to write (this, funny enough). In this micro-situation, I wasn't worried about the best, I just kept moving forward.

"The trouble with too much hesitation is that you lose your chance to act." – Joe Vitale

When it came to the goal of writing at the park, I moved forward, trusting that the how would sort itself out on the way. If I had to decide on which park (and which section of the park [and which picnic table {and what to write about}]), I'd still be at home looking at Google Maps and eventually scrolling Instagram.

This "best" that your mind fixates on is an idealized version of success. It's a belief that finding the perfect path guarantees success, fulfillment, and efficiency.

So we convince ourselves to "hold off a little longer." to avoid the pain and suffering of mistakes. But in truth this obssession keeps you in purgatory—a place worse than hell.

The thought of wasting time or making mistakes is so unsettling that your mind latches onto perfection as a way to cope. The illusion of perfection acts as a safety blanket to protect you from consequences.

Because of this, searching for the perfect solution becomes more significant than what you're trying to solve. In essence, we prioritize being right above living. And dying of starvation in a grocery store because you want the "best" meal is a terrible way to go.

So what do we do?

The plan just needs to be good enough to enable the real work, in my case, writing. I can adapt and improve as I go because my intention is to write for my entire life. It doesn’t have to be perfect right now.

For example, now that I'm writing at a picnic bench, I'm recognizing how uncomfortable it is. The seat is too far from the table, so I'm leaning forward, resting my arms in an awkward position.

Now I know for next time that a picnic bench isn't ideal for writing. But for now, I'm still here, doing the thing I set out to do: writing.

"The perfect is the enemy of the good." – Voltaire

To break this cycle, reframe how you view decision-making. Instead of obsessing over the "best" option, focus on what is "good enough" to move forward. Embrace that making a decision, even if it's not perfect, outperforms indecision. Every. Single. Time

Indecision is purgatory. Action is what leads to progress. Take action, learn from the results, and adjust as you go. Patience, persistence, and iteration bring you closer to perfection than planning ever will.

In its simplest form: Do, adapt, do better.

"You can’t plow a field simply by turning it over in your mind." – Gordon B. Hinckley

Of course, this 'doing' requires a level of self-trust that you are capable of adapting to what arises. All choices have consequences, and having conviction to make the most of them is how we transition from planning to progress.

You can read more about making the most about your choices here: Your Fear of Being Wrong is the Problem

In the end, it's not about the perfect plan but about taking action and trusting yourself to adapt along the way. The pursuit of perfection is not serving you and you know it.

Embrace imperfection, take risks, and prioritize action over endless planning. Allow yourself to move forward, learn, and grow.

Remember, the path to success is paved with good enough decisions, not perfect ones. So get to it.

Live while living, friends.

Ariel

PS. What is your “writing”? What is the activity that you know you want to do more of but the safety blanket of perfection keeps you from doing it? I’m genuinely interested :)

PPS. Share with a friend <3