Imperfect Practice is the Way Forward

Here we are at the start of a new year.  You could say it’s a chance to make the changes you want to your lifestyle.  You could say it’s the start of a new chapter in your life, a chance to make this chapter your best yet.  You could say what lies ahead are 365 days of possibility.  All of that could be true—but at the end of the day, even a day that includes opening up a new calendar, no day holds more power for change than another. Every single day includes a chance to make a small change. Every single day is a new tiny chapter in your life. Every single day holds room for possibility. 

Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to “go big or go home” as January begins. Most folks have been home a lot in the past few years, so it seems like we may as well go tiny and stay there. 

Look for the tiny opportunities that exist day in and day out. Align your ordinary actions with what truly matters to you. Be persistent in standing firm in what you believe in, but allow room for looking at things from another perspective. Practice allowing what you already are to be enough.  Let that sense of worth deepen your roots so you have the energy to live in a way that feels right and good. 

What if this was a year to focus on the micro practices that make you feel more human? What if you put your energy where it will do the most good right now, and that meant you ended the day feeling pleasantly tired instead of depleted? What if something tiny shifted how you showed up to your life just enough to make a difference? As Wendell Berry says, “We can make changes. We can just go out and do it.” 

Move into this next calendar year not with lofty expectations, but with gentle tenacity— the kind that will help you hold fast even in storms that won’t let up. Do something every day that makes you feel more human. Put your energy where it will do the most good right now. Let your community help you when you stumble, and help them when they do. Step into the new year not with resolve to be your best self, but with acceptance: that imperfect practice is the way forward. 

If you haven’t already, pick up a copy of 12 Tiny Things: Simple Ways to Live a More Intentional Life, and join us and find the imperfect practice that works best for you in this season of life. 

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