A Strategy for Sustainable Progress
[5/5] Finding balance between perfectionism and nihilism.
Welcome back to the 5th and final post in our series breaking down Prompted’s framework for becoming better. So far we discussed making Meaningful Progress on Worthwhile Pursuits through Daily Action. The final piece of the framework encourages us to find the Middle Ground in everything we do and prioritize balance ahead of perfection or achievement.
Every Sunday, Prompted delivers insights and prompts designed to help readers become a bit better each day.
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Virtue is the mean between two vices, one of excess and the other of deficiency.
Aristotle
Focusing on becoming better can be all-consuming if we let it.
If we’re constantly thinking about Worthwhile Pursuits and the Daily Action required to make progress, then we’re likely to overwhelm ourselves with the weight of constant improvement.
Over-optimizing our lives to become better causes more harm than good, but not focusing on improvement at all is just as damaging.
The final piece of Prompted’s framework for becoming better is finding the Middle Ground between perfectionism and nihilism.
The belief that we should live recklessly because we'll all die anyway is just as misguided as denying ourselves all pleasure in the pursuit of self-improvement. Both extremes are flawed approaches to life.
Finding the Middle Ground
Thinking in absolute terms is a trap. We’re better off striving for balance than chasing one extreme or another.
Unless we’re trying to become the best in the world at what we do, it’s just as important to make sacrifices to become better as it is to indulge at the expense of improvement.
Aristotle figured this out a long time ago. He rejected the idea of rigid principles and believed virtue was found in the Middle Ground, not at the extremes. Arrogance and cowardice are both undesirable extremes, but the Middle Ground between them, courage, is a virtue.
When we apply this lens to becoming better, we unlock a sustainable and enjoyable path to improving ourselves.
The further we progress in any pursuit the harder it is to make progress. The law of diminishing returns applies to Worthwhile Pursuits as well. At a certain point, the juice is no longer worth the squeeze.
If we don’t chase perfection, but ensure we’re above average, we can have our cake and eat it too.
Embracing Sustainability
Finding this Middle Ground in everything we do is a critical piece of becoming better because it makes our efforts sustainable.
To become a bit better each day and slowly but surely evolve into the person we want to become, we need to be in it for the long haul. We need to be committed for years and years to create, maintain, and improve the life we want.
We don’t need to be the best or the fastest or the flashiest. We just need to make small improvements and never stop.
The same way there are countless fad diets, there are countless strategies for becoming better. However, the only diets that work are the ones we adhere to. If they’re too restrictive we’ll give up and go back to what’s easy.
Becoming better is the same way. The most effective strategy is what’s most sustainable and what’s most sustainable is the Middle Ground.
Prompts
Do you lean closer to the extreme of nihilism or perfectionism?
Where do you have the most balance in your life and where are you closest to the extremes?
What do you need to change in your approach to make your efforts to become better more sustainable?
Deep Dive
A case for becoming a generalist instead of a specialist.
Thanks for reading! I’ll see you next Sunday.
Kevin