What If Good Enough Is Good Enough?
Posted on February 22, 2023 by Erin Shean, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.
“Perfectionism rarely begets perfection, or satisfaction – only disappointment.” – Ryan Holiday
I am a recovering perfectionist.
I used to be secretly proud of the fact that I was a perfectionist, because I viewed perfection as striving to get somewhere that no one else had been before. Here’s the problem…perfection is IMPOSSIBLE to achieve, yet so many of us still strive for it and beat ourselves up over it, and when we can’t attain it, we develop an intimate relationship with depression and sadness. It’s a real pandemic in the American culture. We see it all over TV and in social media, and we often make the mistake of teaching our children, whether intentionally or unintentionally, that “good enough” isn’t enough.
But, what if good enough IS enough?
I attribute my perfectionism to a combination of both innate and self-taught (or taught by others) behavior. It is a difficult trait to untrain, and I fight the voices and habits on a daily basis that I have so carefully nurtured over time. Many would argue that chasing perfection my entire life wasn’t all a bad thing – I excelled at what I put my mind to and have walked away from the first part of my life with some pretty shiny medals to show for it. BUT, here is what I learned in the process…
- Perfection breeds dissatisfaction.
- Perfection causes stress.
- Perfection leads to burnout.
- Perfection causes you to place unrealistic expectations on others.
And, most importantly…
- Perfection is impossible.
“The pursuit of perfection often impedes improvement.” – George Will
Although no experience is a bad one (if you learn from it), if I had to do it all over again, I may opt for “good enough,” instead of perfection.
Why?
Because…
- Being good enough gives you space for a little grace when you are on your journey of chasing a dream.
- Being good enough outperforms perfection at the end of the day when you do it with CONSISTENCY.
- Being good enough won’t put you in a place of burnout nearly as quickly, if at all.
- Being good enough gives you a much greater chance of staying passionate and intrinsically motivated while working towards your goals.
And, of course…
- Being good enough is possible!
Take a minute or two to think about where you can lighten up on yourself and give yourself some space for grace. We aren’t wired to chase perfection all day, every day. If that is how you are operating, you must be exhausted. Trust me…I know!
In pursuit of good enough,
Erin
