As 2016 comes to a close, we’re on the cusp of the New Year Resolutions bonanza. I love the sense of hope that this time of year brings. I also like to share my goals for the upcoming year. The year never turns out how I expect, and each December I get a chance to course correct and start again. 2016 has been a year of great change for me with the arrival of Felicity. In the midst of this season, this idea of “perfect is the enemy of good” weighs on my thoughts.

We live integrated lives. Each of us has many domains that make up who we are as people. A few of these domains are faith, family, health, finances, and career. These connect in a complex way so that if one area suffers, many areas suffer. I’ve struggled with time management these past six months, and I’ve felt the impact. I want to do things well, and I want them to go according to schedule, but that’s just not a realistic expectation.

"Perfect is the enemy of good" applies to more than just our work or our fitness program. I’m aware of how it applies to my faith life and sin. A routine of prayer is essential in the Christian life for those who want to imitate Christ. It’s so easy to set out on a grand adventure of contemplation only to fail before the day has even begun. If we miss that first scheduled prayer time of the day, we wait for the next day to try again. A month later, we still haven’t started. Tomorrow seems to be the perfect day to start anything.

It’s never too late to do the right thing. Tomorrow may look like the perfect day to start, but right now is the perfect time to start. We need momentum, and as soon as the ball gets started, it’s easier for it to keep rolling than to stop. There’s no perfect trick or magic solution to living the life that you want to live. There is only doing.

I’m working on setting my goals for the upcoming year. I'm also evaluating which tools I need to be successful. In 2017, I’m going to spend more time doing and less time figuring out the perfect plan. Perfection is a lie. Overcoming all obstacles and continuing to press forward is a beautiful thing.

Tags: Prayer Virtue