Motivation How to Choose Progress Over Perfection With Peloton Instructor Ally Love By Amy Morin, LCSW, Editor-in-Chief Published on September 13, 2021 Print Verywell / Julie Bang Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Meet Ally Love Why Ally Love Is Mentally Strong What You’ll Hear on the Show What You’ll Learn About Mental Health and Mental Strength Quotes From Ally More About the Podcast Every Monday on The Verywell Mind Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Amy Morin, LCSW, interviews experts, authors, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, and other inspirational people about the strategies that help them think, feel, and do their best in life. Follow Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts Meet Ally Love Ally Love has had several prominent careers. She’s performed as a dancer for the New York Knicks. She’s toured with contemporary ballet companies, and she’s modeled in ads for Under Armour, Health, Self, and Victoria’s Secret. She’s currently the in-arena host of the Brooklyn Nets and she’s a Peloton instructor. She’s also the founder and CEO of Love Squad, a fitness and lifestyle website that empowers women. Why Ally Love Is Mentally Strong Ally’s successful career path has taught her that it’s important to value progress over perfection. She acknowledges that she’s often put too much pressure on herself to be perfect and to be liked by other people. But, she’s working on learning how to cut herself some slack. It’s a message she teaches the people she works with as well. You don’t have to be perfect but you can still take a step in the right direction today. What You’ll Hear on the Show What to keep in mind when someone criticizes you The question you should ask yourself when you put pressure on yourself to be perfect How to recover from mistakes How to aim for realism over perfectionism How to accept that not everyone is going to like your choices How to think of progress like compound interest and why that’s important How to stop pressuring yourself to feel happy all the time What to do when you’re being too hard on yourself What You’ll Learn About Mental Health and Mental Strength Some people assume that mental strength is about always striving to get to the top at all costs. After all, shouldn’t you be strong enough to push through the pain or to persevere no matter what? But sometimes, true strength can be seen in our attempts to make progress, rather than strive for perfection. Taking a day off, recovering from a mistake, and rebounding from failure is part of the process. Progress doesn’t tend to come in a straight line. Sometimes things have to get a little worse before they get better. So rather than assume you should be so strong that you never mess up, true strength can be about knowing that you’re strong enough to recover when you make a mistake. Quotes From Ally Ally Love What people think about me is none of my business. I have to continue to love myself and be happy with who I am. — Ally Love "I sometimes think I have to be happy all the time. I have to be okay. All the time. I have to do all the right things all the time. That in itself is trying to be perfect.""I cannot continue to rely on this idea of everyone liking everything that I do. I have to like who I am and what I do in their lives.""My happiness is not in the hands of my husband or my family or my followers. It's in the hands of me." What Is Happiness? More About the Podcast The Verywell Mind Podcast is available across all streaming platforms. If you like the show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Reviews and ratings are a great way to encourage other people to listen and help them prioritize their mental health too. Links and Resources Follow Ally on Instagram Visit Ally’s website 10 Signs You May Be a Perfectionist How to Overcome Perfectionism 8 Ways to Combat Self-Hatred By Amy Morin, LCSW, Editor-in-Chief Amy Morin, LCSW, is the Editor-in-Chief of Verywell Mind. She's also a licensed clinical social worker, psychotherapist, and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk, "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit Speak to a Therapist Online Advertiser Disclosure × The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which Verywell Mind receives compensation.