Start Imperfectly Right Now

What's standing in the way of making wellness a priority in your life? As TAPS focuses on health and wellness this year, we want you to consider this question. Often, perfect is the enemy of good enough, especially when it comes to our own well-being. What are you putting off, or avoiding, because you've created your own set of criteria? Are you waiting to start an exercise program today because you tell yourself you can have a fresher start tomorrow? Are you using unreachable standards - in relationships, in your environment, in your own treatment of yourself - to either procrastinate or isolate?

It's easy to create extreme standards for ourselves. The house has to be "just right" in order to have people over. Once we start eating Thin Mints, we might as well eat them all. We'll "be healthier" and "make changes," and we'll do it…soon.

Our challenge to you is to start imperfectly right now. Wellness habits are set by repeated actions. Every day you wait to start positive self-care and treat yourself better is a day farther away from creating a healing ritual.

What are your excuses? Make a list. It's easier to address your obstacles when they're on paper and not racing around in your head. Try: "I can't right now because…" "I can't today because…" Step away from your list, and then come back later and find actionable solutions: "I could do this if…"

Your list is a guide to where and how you're holding yourself back - and how you can make small changes with powerful impacts. There might even be some difficult questions you need to face lurking behind your list, but the thing about wellness is that, often, as we prioritize a "good enough" start today, the buzz of doubts and questions starts to fade. You'll build positive momentum every day instead of spinning your wheels, waiting for the stars to align.

Being the best possible living legacy means that every day counts. What we can do right now might not be perfect, but it's a step toward honesty, personal power and emotional resiliency.