The Daily: Friday December 18, 2025

"For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again; but the wicked are overthrown by calamity"
Proverbs 24:16

Perfectionism is one of the greatest enemies of progress. It whispers that if we can't do something flawlessly, we shouldn't do it at all. But this mindset keeps us stuck, waiting for a level of readiness that never comes. The truth is, we're going to mess up - and that's not only okay, it's part of the process.

Consider the athlete who celebrates their slowest race time because they showed up despite every reason to quit. There's profound wisdom in recognizing that sometimes our greatest victories look like failures to the outside world. The courage to keep trying, to show up imperfectly, to fail and try again - this is where real growth happens.

In his book,  On the Brink of Everything, Parker Palmer writes,
Experimentation is how we learn, and a lot of experiments fail. If you live your life experimentally, the failures will be personal, and some will be spectacular. And yet, as every scientist knows, we often learn more from experiments that fail than from those that succeed.

We don't succeed because we never miss the shot; we succeed because we keep taking shots despite missing most of them. Each attempt teaches us something new, builds our resilience, and moves us closer to our calling. Today, instead of waiting until you feel completely prepared, consider taking one small, imperfect step forward. Your willingness to try matters more than your ability to execute flawlessly.

Reflection
What is one area where perfectionism has been preventing you from taking action, and what would one small, imperfect step forward look like?

Prayer
Lord, free me from the paralysis of perfectionism. Help me to value progress over perfection and to see my failures as stepping stones rather than roadblocks. Give me the courage to try, fail, and try again with grace. Amen.