Hey Reader,
Something came up on this week’s pod that I thought was worth sharing.
A fitness influencer posted about how taking three glasses of wine destroyed his sleep and WHOOP, and it took him five days to recover.
It sure caused a stir.
The people who are sober hit everyone with the “Yeah, drinking is the worst”, and the people who drink were like, "Sober people are the most boring losers in the world".
Someone my pod co-host and I respect and align with wrote about this: “This is bullshit, and performative.”
And I completely agree.
It reminded me of the trap of always wanting perfection and being too rigid on ourselves.
Sure, alcohol will have negative effects, so you can make a choice to drink, to drink sparingly, or not drink at all.
I don’t drink for personal reasons.
But holding yourself to a standard like, I have this drink, and now my watch says I suck, and I have bad recovery, and now I can’t do anything, is just not real.
As an average runner, if my sleep has to be perfect, my Garmin has to say it’s perfect, and my HRV has to be perfect so that I can have a perfect run, that is super fragile.
🧠 Perfection actually comes at a cost
I think a lot of high performers will recognize this one.
You have your system, structure, or routine that keeps you disciplined.
You build the routine because it helps you stay focused, disciplined, organized, and even proactive.
All of that is genuinely good.
But there’s a thin line between discipline and being extremely rigid.
Like maybe a bad night’s sleep, increased heart rate, skipping a workout, having a cheat meal, or something of that sort, making you feel like a loser in that moment.
Or seeing one moment of compromise with family, friends, or loved ones as not being disciplined enough.
See how that can even start to affect your relationships with people?
It can also affect how you do things.
Like, it takes away that confidence to act anyway if things are not lined up perfectly.
There’s little or no room for change, so you hold onto a pattern, routine, or way of doing something.
And the pressure to maintain perfection in everything can take the joy out of doing it in the first place.
That’s a really fragile place to be.
It kills potential because life is not always perfectly lined up.
❤️ How about some flexibility?
Being flexible starts with yourself.
It’s actually okay to have a drink, eat cake, or skip a workout if you necessarily have to.
People should respect values, boundaries, and all that. Sure.
But there will be moments that need you to go a little bit out of character or routine, and it’s fine.
No one is going to die.
You haven’t ruined anything, and it doesn’t make you less disciplined.
When you have this mental flexibility, it keeps you prepared for imperfect conditions in life and work.
You are more open to change.
You’re not stressed or overwhelmed when everything is not perfect for you to act.
You know it’s not the end of the world on days when things go off plan.
You’re not burdened with the anxiety, overthinking, fear, and stress that comes with a sudden need for change you’re not mentally prepared for.
You know you’ll be fine.
And the world will be fine.
So, is there something you’ve been saying no to because it doesn’t fit the plan?
Are you sure you’re not just overthinking it because you’ve become too routine rigid?
If it’s reasonable, how about you just go with it anyway?
It doesn’t change a thing about who you are and what you’ve built.
Be a little more flexible.
It’s totally fine.
With appreciation,
Huw
P.S: We got into all of this on this week’s pod, plus loads more good stuff in there.
And things also got a bit vulnerable too.
Have a listen.
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Huw Edwards
Founder & CEO, h3.xyz
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