Sloppy Success

People always ask me how I get so much work done. Well, I've given all the typical answers that I thought worked. Things like:

"I prioritize and do the most important things."

"There are more things that I do NOT do."

"I don't get a lot of sleep."

"I just use my time very wisely."

Finally, after i had gone for a walk with a pair of mismatched socks and folded up a fitted sheet in a big, fat wad before sticking it in the linen closet, I realized what the secret of success really is--

It's got to be SLOPPY!

Most of the time, people sit around waiting on things to be perfect before they take action. They don't mop the floor until they can mop every single square inch. They don't cook a meal until they have each and every ingredient. They don't work out until they have one complete uninterrupted hour to do so.

The problem with this is that the perfect conditions will hardly ever happen. And if they do, they will never happen consistently. If you're not willing to do work sloppy, then sometimes, you may never get the opportunity to do it at all! If you are ever going to achieve success, especially as a busy mom, you absolutely must get comfortable with sloppiness every now and then. Otherwise, you will be forced to get comfortable with failure. I don't know about you, but sloppy success beats perfect failure every single time.

Why sloppy success? Here are a few reasons:

* You make the right impression.
Have you ever had someone walk in your home and immediately you begin making excuses? "I'm behind in my laundry. The kids trashed the house today. I've been sick for a few days." When you embrace sloppy success, you don't have to make excuses. The house looks well-kept. It doesn't look immaculate by any stretch of the imagination, but it looks put together. Sure, there's the odd pile of laundry waiting to be folded or the books scattered across the table, but that's all part of the process of life. When you get comfortable with being sloppy, you send out a good message to the world and make the right impression--"This is MY home. I love it. I live it. And I'm on top of it!"

* You grow your skills.
When we set our sights on perfect, we let our stubbornness prevent us from growing new skills and moving out of our ruts. Perfectionism is a trap. It's like walking in quicksand. A mother's life is extremely busy. The busier we get, the more elusive perfectionism becomes. Pretty soon, if we can't do it perfectly, we don't do it at all. And gradually (like quicksand), we begin to lose our skills at parenting, homemaking, cooking, organizing, time management, and other areas of life. Sloppy success is growth. Even if we don't do it perfectly, at least we're getting it done. And next time, you're going to do it even better.

* You increase your time.
A lot of perfectionism involves waiting, waiting, and more waiting. And while you're waiting to get it done right, you miss a lot of time that you could have been spending getting it done "good enough." One thing a lot of moms complain about is not having enough time. Well, let me tell you something I've learned over the years--there's always enough time to spot mop a floor with your foot and a paper towel, or kick a few toys under the sofa. Face it--you don't have enough time in your life to be perfect. But you have plenty of time to live a full, fun, sloppy life.

* You increase your opportunities
If the only standard in your life is "perfect," then it eventually consumes you. I used to have a friend who lived near me who vacuumed twice a day. Meanwhile, her kids always wanted to hang out at my house. Perfectionism consumed her, and chased away everything else that stood in its path--including her kids. If you don't get comfortable with sloppy success, you will miss out on a lot of opportunities; and some of these opportunities will never show their face again. Sloppy success leaves you with plenty of room to have a tea party with the kids or play football in the mud.

* You experience the rush of accomplishment.
And probably the greatest reason of all to make "sloppy success" your new mantra is because of the rush you feel when you accomplish something. You may not have detailed the entire van, but you cleaned out the trash at the gas station while you filled up the tank and that feels GOOD! You may not have cleaned the windows inside and out, but you wiped them off with the dish rag, and now the sunlight is steaming inside the house and it feels GOOD! Success is empowering, even if it's sloppy! Remember, sloppy success beats perfect failure every day of the week!