When I was younger (and fitter) I decided to take up mountain biking. I hadn’t been on a bike for a couple of decades but I had this new friend who was a hard-core biker and he promised to show me the ropes. So one day we went out on a trail where I could learn to jump logs. He demonstrated it for me – it looked smooth and effortless and above all, fun. My turn. Ouch. Try again. And again and again. Even when I stayed upright it was neither smooth nor effortless because my pedal would hit the log or I’d land with a turned wheel and careen off the trail. As for fun – it wasn’t, since I wasn’t doing it perfectly and that seemed pretty important at the time. My friend, a tireless cheerleader by nature, eventually sat down and his cheering turned to encouragement to move on. I frequently had to step to the side to allow other riders to pass before tackling that log again and again. I watched another newbie tentatively approach the log. He awkwardly made it over (pedal scraping, landing askew)… and continued on. Suddenly it hit me. There were lots of other logs on this trail, and other sights, smells, dips and turns that make the trail so amazing. And I was missing out!

There is very little in life we need to be perfect at. Hop on, do your best, know when “good enough” is actually good enough, and enjoy the ride.