I first heard the Coach use the phrase “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good” a while ago. At the time, it was brought up in the context of a joke. But the phrase has come up a few times since during our training sessions.
If I’m to be brutally honest, whenever I hear these words, I immediately think “good is just a stepping stone to perfection”. In other words, I’ll take the “good” today because it means I’m headed down the road towards perfection – which is really my end goal in the gym AND in life. (not that I can tell you what perfection in the gym AND in life looks like; I figure I’ll know it when I see it . . . I’ll let you know if I ever get there . . . Hah!). (And yes, I DO realize how ironically imperfect a student I’m being by not listening to the lesson the Coach is earnestly trying to get through to me).
Elizabeth Gilbert just came out with her new book Big Magic. I’ve enjoyed reading it this week, and have gleaned some valuable insights from it. But then this morning, in a section called “Fear in High Heels”, I came across this quote:
“Perfect is not only the enemy of the good; it’s also the enemy of the realistic, the possible, and the fun”.
And then this one:
“Perfectionism is just fear in fancy shoes and a mink coat, pretending to be elegant when actually it’s just terrified”.
Oh my.
I think I have some thinking to do on how much I really want to achieve absolute perfection in my life . . .
That being said, I am quite certain that I achieved perfection with the soup I made this morning. This is a staple in our house; a quick side that I can whip out of the freezer for the Husband and I on a busy weeknight, or just a nice weekend lunch for us . . . no, the kids don’t like it . . . and no, I don’t make them consume it. One day they will come to realize just how fantastically perfect this soup really is though!
Curried Coconut Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
5 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
1tbs fat (coconut oil, olive oil, or butter)
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups bone broth / stock
1 can full fat organic coconut milk
2tsp curry powder
Directions
- Melt the oil in a large pot on medium heat, and once melted, add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring as required, until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Add in the sweet potatoes, and stir everything well.
- Pour in the bone broth and cook until the sweet potatoes are really soft.
- Add in the coconut milk and curry powder and again stir to combine. Let the mixture come back up to a simmer and then remove from the stove.
- Either let the soup cool and puree it in a blender or use an immersion blender and puree it all while it’s still hot; I vary the method I use based on how quickly I want to consume the soup.
nancyhotson 
What if you could blow your mind a little further and believe you are perfect right where you are and this is where you need to be?
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Yeah . . . I get we are exactly where we need to be. But I struggle with the concept that we are perfect right where we are . . . if that’s the case, then what motivation is there to make/reach goals??? Or maybe I just have a lot more work to do!!!!
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I think being perfect is a hard goal to achieve. One can strive to be better but perfect is next to impossible. In sport it may be a little easier but everyday life is an ongoing & changing challenge. I will definitely be trying the soup.😍
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