JOY over perfectionism
How our co-founder Steve found joy beyond the pursuit of health perfection
Ever been overly fixated on metrics and personal records in pursuit of health? That used to be me. Every run needed to break a personal record in the Strava app and my nutritional intake needed to tick all the boxes, every single day. Motivation led to dedication which turned into an obsession and ultimately perfectionism.
How do you know if your good intentions to be healthy hinder you from living well? Maybe you skip cake at the party because it doesn’t fit into your diet or a spontaneous call from a friend seems to impose on your rigid routine. On my quest to find a balance between ambition and presence, here are the main things I’ve switched up to stop letting perfectionism creep in — and let joy take centre stage.
Shift the focus 👀 Include other aspects of well-being, such as relationships and relaxation into your daily rituals. Me personally? I leave my devices at home now for 50% of my runs, block off time for family dinners, and end the day with a walk around the neighborhood with my wife.
Cultivate self-compassion ❤️ The longest relationship I’m ever going to have is with myself and living a long life isn’t much fun if I’m criticising myself the entire time. I make a conscious effort to define a ‘good day’ as one in which I move my body, create something, speak with a friend, get outside, ate well (and yes, that might mean ending the meal with good-quality chocolate!) and didn’t give myself a hard time about how far or fast I did or didn’t cycle.
Breaking down the barrier that perfectionism creates allows us to fully engage with the world around us and enjoy the beauty and richness of life beyond our predetermined ideals. If our goal is to live a healthy life for as long as possible, we might be better off savouring everything we get to experience right now. I still love a good endurance sports challenge, don’t get me wrong but the reality is that a truly fulfilling life (regardless of its length) comes through meaning and connection.
Seize the years (not the Strava badges),
Steve Jennings | Co-Founder + CEO, Yeu
This blog post was originally featured in the first edition of our bi-weekly newsletter, Rise + Thrive, on April 27th 2024.
