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It's funny, isn't it, how often we end up following the paths of others because they appear to have achieved what we want?

Granted, we can learn from the successes of others, and what actions they took.

But the glaring problem is no two people are alike.

No two people have had the same experiences, have the same abilities, the same understanding, or the same circumstances.

We may attempt to emulate someone who is where we want to be, but unless we allow for flexibility and adaptability around our own needs, limitations and responsibility, we cannot hope to make progress.

Comparing ourselves to others is rarely a healthy thing to do, but it's nigh on impossible to quit completely.

My advice to you this week?

Try to have the self awareness to clock when you're comparing yourself to other people, and remind yourself that you're never comparing to the full picture.

And when you're looking to achieve goals similar to other people, look for the lessons but don't assume that you can...

We humans are an odd bunch...

No matter how many times we are reminded that perfection is an unobtainable ideal, we still find ourselves in pursuit.

The result?

Frustration when it doesn't go our way.

Things happen which derail our plans, which pisses us off and we end up throwing in the towel.

In any endeavour, be it fitness and wellbeing, career, relationships, or anything else, the concept of perfection is a barrier between us and consistent progress.

If we focus in on making slight improvements instead... (wait, that would be a great name for a newsletter) ...we are far more likely to see ground being gained.

Think of it this way, which option is better:

1. A perfect on-paper plan, with a goal of perfection, which you can stick to for a maximum of about 4.5 days

2. An imperfect plan which only makes small changes, but you can maintain indefinitely

Which of those will lead to better results in the end?

Pretty obvious now, right?

An added bonus of the second...

You have probably heard the phrase 'survival of the fittest', right?

Good old Charlie Darwin and his incredible work 'On The Origin of Species'.

But this use of 'fitness' often gets misconstrued as meaning strongest, or toughest.

It is not necessarily the strongest or toughest species which survives... and nor is that true for individuals.

In fact, in 1963 Leon C Megginson, a management and marketing professor at Louisiana State University, paraphrased it like this:

"According to Darwin’s Origin of Species, it is not the most intellectual of the species that survives; it is not the strongest that survives; but the species that survives is the one that is able best to adapt and adjust to the changing environment in which it finds itself."

Please note, that is not a quote from Darwin himself, as is often misquoted.

But the fact remains... a species which is to survive in a harsh and changing environment has to be adaptable to...