Progress, not Perfection
Coach B usually has a ton of advice for me in each of our lessons. Arms here, legs this way, eyes over here, head like this. I’m usually pretty good at following her directions, but there has been one lesson that has been difficult for me to grasp: progress, not perfection.
For whatever reason, I always seem to choose to participate in activities that require precision. Flute (hellooooo, competitive musicians!), gymnastics (gotta stick that landing), baking (measuring tools are your best friends) and of course skating. I strive to be as accurate and precise as possible, but sometimes things just don’t work out that way.
We were having a lesson last week and I goofed something up. My comment was, “Wow. That was bad.” Coach B told me not to be so hard on myself and that she was proud of the progress that I had made. Sure, things weren’t perfect, but I had been making improvements.
Every once in a while, we take a look at at how far I’ve come. We joke about how ugly my first back sit spins were and how it’s become one of my stronger spins. We talk about my early attempts at other skating elements and compare to how much better they are today.
Figure skating, as Coach B says, is a journey. You can’t expect perfection overnight. Like a marathon, you have to take one step at a time and work towards your end goal.
So if you are ever feeling frustrated in whatever you are doing, just stop to think about what you have done to make it this far. Celebrate the little wins and the progress you have made and understand that your end goal is a journey. Your hard work and dedication will get you there.
