What is the alternate view?

I tend to view the quality of my projects as binary: either they feels perfect or they’re a failure.

That’s certainly one way to think about work, but there is an alternate view point:

Not every project is going to feel perfect — there will be moments of confusion and errors you discover. Instead of viewing these instances as critical failures, they can just as easily be seen as chances to learn and improve. Seeing things this way can help reduce pressure and make solving problems a more enjoyable process.

Another example: sometimes a deadline will be approaching and I’ll think to myself, “I can’t possibly get this done in time.”

Here’s an alternate view: “What if I can?”

Your perspective of how things are going is just one perspective of many. You can change your mind.

If your perspective is weighing you down, there’s probably a perfectly reasonable alternate view that can lift you up.

All that’s required of you is to be curious about what that view might be.