Effort vs. Execution

Tonight I was in the bathroom getting ready for an evening out with the girls. From our closet I heard the happy shrills of Aiden and some "yays!" and clapping from Nelson.

Aiden came tearing into the bathroom. "He's doing it! He's doing it Mama! Max is sitting up!" He ran back out and I followed.

There on the floor of the closet was Max, surrounded by the Baby Bop pillow, sitting -albeit like the leaning Tower of Pisa. He sat and then toppled. Cheers ensued.

Soon Mackenzie and Dawson joined the group. I went back to getting ready listening to the sounds of squeals, laughter and genuine cheers. It was really cute how excited everyone got for Max.

He wasn't sitting perfectly, but he was trying. They weren't rejoicing over the execution as much as the effort. Then I thought about how much happier I could be if I looked at my life in the same way.

In the grand scheme of things, it's rarely about perfection. In fact, most of the learning we do comes through our mistakes. Instead of kicking myself for missing that goal of perfection, I should be rejoicing in how far I've come - in how hard I've worked to get here.

Of course, having my own cheering section wouldn't hurt!