Perfect is the enemy of better
Progress isn't about following rules perfectly. It's about moving in the right direction, even when the rules bend.
We tell ourselves stories about change. Black or white. Success or failure. All in or nothing at all. These stories keep us stuck.
The middle path works because it matches reality. You don't need to be perfect. You need to be better. A little better today than yesterday. That's how change happens.
Take smoking. One cigarette doesn't make you a smoker any more than one salad makes you healthy. What matters is the direction you're moving. Three cigarettes a year beats twenty a day.
Progress lives in these small victories. As long as you can keep something undesired an exception, you are winning.