I'm never "good enough"
Posted on April 06, 2023 by Michael Ian Cedar, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.
Do you have that feeling that you can never get "good enough"? You're constantly working to "get better" but you never quite cross the finish line, yo
Well, I’m here to tell you… wanting to get better is a natural feeling.
And…
Just because you want to do better, doesn’t mean you’re bad now.
This is something that I personally have to remind myself…as a coach…as a family member…as a speaker…heck as a marketer wanting more people to read this email.
In Zen, there are no masters, only students. They can only be considered masters when they leave their bodies at the end of their lives..
Humans are creatures of journey, not creatures of destination. If we were creatures of destination, we would never grow past our own limits. We’d hit our initial goal and say “oh well, I did it, I’m done.” We wouldn’t have skyscrapers. We wouldn’t have new inventions. We’d still be in a cave staring at the fire.
Recognizing that we want to get better and grow, that’s what makes us human. Beavers don’t make their dam and say “let’s make it better”, but humans do!
Imagine what life will look like when you see every moment where you want to be better as opportunities to celebrate, instead of a sign that you aren’t good now.
I work with executives all the time who need to hear “Just because you want to be a better leader, it doesn’t mean you aren’t a great leader now”.
And now I say the same to you:
Just because you want to be a better mother/father/partner/friend/co-worker, doesn’t mean you aren’t a good one now.
So here’s my challenge to you: Think about a part of your life where you are actively looking to grow. How can you celebrate that feeling right now?
Being brave enough to look in the mirror and say “I am committed to learning” is what makes you a remarkable human being.
I hope you want to be better, as that is your gift as a human. And as you get better, you increase “the bar” for all of those around you.
