Here’s a story of a story…
James Clear, in his book Atomic Habits, writes about a story that he read in the book Art & Fear, by David Bayles and Ted Orland. The story goes that an art professor divided his photography class into two groups that would be graded differently.
The first group would only be required to submit one single photograph the whole term. The entirety of their grade would be determined by the quality of their work.
The second group would not be judged on quality at all, but on the sheer number of photographs they turned in: at least 100 photos for an A, 90 photos for a B, and so on. The entirety of their grade would be determined by the quantity of their work.
At the end of the term, the professor assigned grades accordingly, but also, just for fun, looked at the best photographs produced by the class – the ones that were nearly perfect in lighting, composition, subject, perspective, and everything else that makes a photo great.
When I first encountered this story, my assumption was that it would be about how there’s too much fluff in the world and the lesson would be on making something truly great.
But as it happens, the professor found that all of the best photos were produced by the Quantity group, not the Quality group.
Why?
Because the Quality group spent weeks and weeks studying and planning and agonizing about how to create the perfect photograph. Meanwhile, the Quantity group was practicing. They were getting in repetitions. They were honing their craft. Their first photographs were not remarkable. Their 20th and 30th and 40th photographs weren’t remarkable. But by the time they got to photograph #86, #91, #97? They were figuring it out.
They got good at their craft, not by striving for perfection, but by doing the work, even when it wasn’t “good work” – and they didn’t just get good; they got better than the students whose sole goal was excellent work.
(You can read James Clear’s account of the story HERE).
You’re probably ahead of me if you’re already thinking about how this applies to health and fitness, but just in case, here’s how:
It is very easy to get caught up in the “right way” to exercise, the “right way” to eat, the “right way” to improve sleep, the “right way” to manage stress. I meet people all the time who have read more articles and books, watched more videos, and listened to more podcasts on health than I have, and I’m an industry professional with over a decade of experience. But they’re still struggling to get healthy. Because they spend more time researching the right way to do it than actually doing it.
Your first workout probably won’t turn any heads with your stunning performance. You probably won’t feel like an Olympian.
Your first crack at a nutritious meal might be gross.
Your first try improving your sleep might actually keep you awake longer than usual.
Your first step into the world of mental health might make you feel worse instead of better.
But the point isn’t to get it right. The point is to do it better. To do it better than last time. To be stronger than last week. To be healthier than yesterday. To sleep better than you did six months ago. To be happier than you were a year ago.
You get better with practice. You get better with repetition. You get better by showing up and doing it, day in, day out, week in, week out, for months, and then years, and then decades.
It won’t be good at first. That’s ok. Because just like that Quantity group in the photography class, rep #46 is going to be loads better than rep #3, and rep # 98 is going to be nearly unrecognizable compared to rep #1.
Let go of the idea that it has to be perfect. It’s holding you back.
Instead, get out there and just go do the thing you want to do.