Getting Good With Good Enough

 Ugh -- "good enough".  Even as I type that I can't help but inwardly cringe.  For as long as I can remember, good enough was never good enough.  In my eyes, if I hadn't achieved perfection or something close to that standard, then I hadn't done the work and as a result had failed.  Reflecting back on this, I can picture so many moments in my life where I shortchanged myself because of this belief - not giving myself the opportunity to enjoy or celebrate success, even if it didn't look quite the way I had hoped it would.  And while managing to exceed expectations feels amazing, it is important to remember that it is more of an elusive experience than we might care to admit, and instead focus on the effort and accomplishments that we are seeing unfold regardless of how they stack up to our loftier wishes.

The perfectionist/people-pleasing part of myself absolutely rebels at the idea of accepting my best effort as good enough.  It feels like I am taking the easy way out or loafing to "only" do my best.  Ironically I would never be this hard on anyone else in my life nor would I be comfortable standing by and listening to someone else be that hard on a friend or loved one.  Ahhh, the inner critic always has a say!

I feel like this shift in perspective has come about slowly, and without me really noticing it right away.  As I have leaned into curiosity about new hobbies or activities, I have had to face the hard truth that new skills do not always (ever) come easily.  It often takes years or a lifetime to hone a craft and see the results that you desire.  In the meantime, all the hard work it takes to reach that place of mastery has to count for something.  Otherwise, what are we even doing?  If we go along and discount the effort and grit it takes to simply show up for something new, we are undercutting our growth and are placing no worth on our time and hard work.  To have passion for something is worth celebrating in and of itself, never mind the countless hours spent becoming good enough to enjoy a new pass time. 

In a new dance class the other week I was reminded that if we all gave up on walking when we were first learning, simply because we kept falling down, none of us would be walking now.  Stopping to think about the number of times a toddler pulls themself up only to topple back to the ground is a humbling example of determination and the idea that good enough can absolutely be good enough as long as you keep showing up for yourself and reminding yourself why you are showing up in the first place.  So I am going to start celebrating all of my falling down moments, as well as my pulling myself back up ones because it is the combination of ups and downs that eventually pushes us forward. 



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