Done is better than Good!

Done is better than Good!

Elizabeth Gilbert (Author of Eat, Pray, Love) posted this to her facebook page, and said this is her mother's motto. As a writer, I can imagine that Elizabeth herself deals with this idea on a daily basis. You can always make your writings better, more clear, differently phrased for the right effect, right? But at some point done is better than good.






The motto resonated with me because I struggle with this as I plan and teach my yoga classes. I struggle with this when I practice Asana. I struggle with this when I meditate.

And it is this exact struggle that so often prevents me from getting it DONE! (Such as writing this blog entry!) If I cannot do it well, then I won't do it. Well, my friend, sometimes, DONE is good enough. Sometimes DONE IS BETTER THAN GOOD. It's DONE!

So, let's apply this to my yoga classes.

In my classes, I want to deliver the best, most solid, well-themed class every single time. I want to move you, to make you think on a physical as well as emotional and spiritual level. I want to do all these things every single time I take the seat as the teacher.

But I can't! Try as I might, I cannot accomplish that. Some themes will land and others will flop. Some sequencing will make sense, and others you will feel unprepared for the challenge of the posture. Some days you will be experiencing enough of your own shit that you won't hear what I am saying, and that is OK too!

A wise teacher once said "commit to the pose, but loosen the effort just enough to BE in the pose."

This is now my motto as I plan my next class, my next theme, my next sequence. I will commit to this class I am teaching, then I will loosen the effort to BE. To allow the class to unfold as it does.

Now apply it to my yoga practice.

Sometimes I practice yoga, and walk away thinking, "That was my best practice ever!" I nailed the peak posture, I was strong, grounded, my body was open to the unfolding. Other times I walk away thinking, "What a flop, I should have stayed in bed." Either one is an attachment to that particular class, that particular practice. And in the end, it is DONE. And isn't that better than having not done? Isn't that better than good?

And it's not just about the pose - it is about LIFE. As we teach ourselves to "non-attach", we also live in this world and in order to get anything done, we must commit ourselves to doing it. Yet, we must at the same time, loosen the effort just enough to allow life to unfold as it will.

And in the end, it is DONE. And DONE is better than good.

Sometimes it is good enough - even better than good - just to get it done.

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