How can I pursue acceptance and perfection simultaneously?

[CreamCat]

By perfection, I don't mean perfectionism which is a neurotic resistance to reality. By perfection, I mean the process of getting better or of perfecting something over time.

Acceptance itself cannot lead to progress if you don't try to perfect your stuff. You can accept your pathetic life situations and stop improving.

It's hard to accept reality and try to make stuff better simultaneously. Acceptance and perfection can exist together, but they seem to repel each other in my mind.

[ivory]

On one end of the spectrum is acceptance, on the other is commitment. It takes practice to learn to balance the two. The main thing to look for is struggle. Struggle lets you know you are trying too hard and need to shift into acceptance mode. Progress happens very slowly and you can't push the river, so to speak. It's important to really see that in your own experience. Shift into commitment mode when you find yourself slipping into distractions and laziness.