findingthefloor

Episode 249: Excellence with our strengths and our weaknesses

Excellence with our strenghts and weaknesses - episode 249

In this episode, I continue exploring the powerful quote from Olympic gold medalist Helen Maroulis:

“I won with all of my strengths and I won with all of my weaknesses.”

After reflecting on The Confident Mind last week, I wanted to dig deeper into the idea that excellence does not require perfection. I explore how perfectionism can quietly become a control strategy, what we’re actually hoping perfection will give us, and how we can pursue excellence — in motherhood, habits, faith, and even something as simple as getting dressed — without demanding flawlessness from ourselves.

Show Notes: Hi Friends! I hope you enjoyed listening to this episode. Below are all the references.

Perfection as a Control Strategy

Sometimes perfection feels safe. If everything is flawless, we think we can avoid:

Criticism
Disappointment
Failure
Rejection

But perfectionism is often an attempt to control the outcome in order to avoid uncertainty.

When I stop and ask myself, What do I think perfection will give me? the answers are usually:

Safety
Validation
Worth
Excellence

The truth is, we can experience all of those without being flawless.

What Does Excellence Actually Mean?

Excellence is personal. It doesn’t have to mean:

Perfect performance
Perfect parenting
A perfectly styled home
A flawless wardrobe

It can mean:

Showing up consistently
Trying again
Learning from mistakes
Playing to our strengths

Excellence is effort + growth. Not flawlessness.

A Real-Life Example: Updating My Wardrobe

I share how I’ve been trying to update my wardrobe and assumed that once I had the “right information,” it would be easy. Instead, I’ve had to:

Try things on
Make mistakes
Return items
Keep experimenting
Accept the process

I realized I was frustrated because I wanted immediate perfection instead of gradual progress. The process itself — including mistakes — is how we learn.

Sometimes excellence is simply allowing the learning curve.

Lessons From Three Books

1. The Confident Mind

Human imperfection is inevitable.
If you punish yourself for every mistake, it’s impossible to be confident.
Moderate perfectionism leads to higher achievement than rigid perfectionism.
Mistakes are valuable information.
Curiosity about imperfection leads to growth.

2. Atomic Habits

1% better adds up.
Never miss twice.
Habits are votes for identity, not proof of flaws.
Progress matters more than streaks.

I share how I’ve been tracking my scripture-reading streak and noticed I was becoming more attached to the streak than the purpose. The goal isn’t perfection — it’s relationship and growth.

3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Sharpen the saw.
We are the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Taking care of ourselves allows us to sustain excellence long-term.

Excellence includes rest, renewal, and kindness toward ourselves.

Weakness as Part of the Plan

I reflect on Ether 12:27:

“I give unto men weakness that they may be humble… then will I make weak things strong unto them.”

Weakness is not a disqualification. It’s part of the human condition. We don’t need to eliminate every weakness before we can achieve excellence. We can: