My daughter texted me from college after her volleyball practice inquiring why she was so emotionally linked to her mistakes on the court. Here is what I shared.

“Emotions are a function of expectations, or beliefs. You enjoy the game, and you have trained heavily, so you take a high level of ownership. That torches up your right or wrong, all or nothing mentality. As a result, you personalize every action as if it defines you. The solution is to see it all as a process to improve, rather than an end result.”

What about you? In marketplace competition, in your home, in ministry, or in your hobby, are you operating from a perfectionist perspective resulting in an unhealthy ownership that is hurting you and those around you?

This perspective was eating me alive until I realized that God wasn’t looking for perfection; He was seeking excellence, doing the best with what I have. This shift in mentality, allowed me to own my mistakes as part of my fallen nature, yet give God the credit for any successes. It freed me from being defined by the outcomes of my efforts. Rather than proving my abilities, I learned to improve them.

Life is a journey. Paul wrote: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Did you catch that? You and I are works in progress, so let’s shift our perspectives from perfection to excellence, recognizing that we will fall short, but the Restorer will make us new again on Restoration Road.

Episode 125: From Perfection to Excellence with Alyssa Toupin from mitchkrusetv on Vimeo.

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