What’s it like to do it halfway?

I’m not sure I know. ☺

If I’m honest, really honest, I probably have to admit that I don’t do things halfway. As much as I pride myself on how grey I’ve become – not seeing everything in only black and white and open to nuances and different perspectives and beliefs – I don’t think I’m very grey in my effort. I’m pretty much all or nothing.

I run; I run hard (albeit not fast). I lift; I lift a lot. I write; I write often (constantly?). I love; I love wholeheartedly. I work; I really work at it.

I give most things my all. Again, that’s just the way I am. And fundamentally that’s fine. Good even. It’s gotten me pretty far, pretty successful, and pretty happy.

But what is it like to do something halfway?

I’ve heard:

“Anything worth doing is worth doing right.” Hunter Thompson

“Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.” Mick Jagger

“Anything worth doing is worth doing is worth doing poorly until you learn to do it well.” Zig Ziglar

“Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.” G. K. Chesterton and

“If anything is worth doing, do it with all your heart.” Buddha

Apparently there are a lot of ways to look at this. They all seem to make some sense to me. I think my favorite viewpoints are Buddha’s…and Mick Jagger’s.

I also think it would be worthwhile for me to let myself do more things only halfway. To maybe invest all my heart, but perhaps not all my effort. To play with what that’s like. To give myself permission to run a race slowly or take a break before I finish a task. To push myself a bit less in yoga, or lift a bit less at the gym. (Nah, never mind on that one!) To let dishes sit in the sink. To practice “oops” and “oh well” and “this is enough” more.

I do already do these things. (Just ask my husband about the dishes in the sink.) But perhaps I can ease myself even a bit more. Because if I’m willing to let myself do things halfway, I might find myself attempting a few things that I normally might shy away from. By allowing myself not to be great at something, I allow myself to try things without worrying whether or not I’ll fail. I can invest my whole heart, at least usually, and as much effort as I want to.

It might be my all. It might be a little. It might be halfway.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, and please share this post with others if it resonates with you!

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