Good Enough for Today
I've discovered that the more important thing is to keep moving.
Over the years, I've had to overcome having a tendency towards perfection. I probably acquired this tendency from my schooling days—personally having an internal drive to ace every exam or paper. Of course, I didn't ace every test. But I certainly tried my darndest to. Surprisingly, it didn't actually bother me when I didn't achieve the perfect score. I suppose I simply liked the idea of aiming for perfection, knowing that I would be content with whatever the results were.
I've had to learn to move away from this perfectionist tendency over the years. This was important because rarely was anything ever perfect. I'd likely go crazy trying to make everything so. With so many tasks and responsibilities on my plate each day, being perfect in all of these things is simply not realistic. It may even be detrimental to my mental health and progress in life.
I've learned to settle for "good enough." I may still aim to do my best, but for one reason or another, I may intentionally and strategically settle for "good enough" and be content with that. This is helpful because it keeps me moving in life and work and not get bogged down with not achieving the perfect result. Here are some examples of where I apply this "good enough for today" principle:
Working Out. Some days, I'm just not into my exercise routine. I'm not as focused as I want to be. I don't challenge myself enough. I slack in my intensity. When I've completed the workout, I say to myself, "Good enough for today," and move on to the next thing. I will have the chance tomorrow to do better.
Prayer and Bible Reading. Sometimes my prayers are quick and my heart isn't fully engaged. Or I'm not as focused when I'm reading the Bible. I might be overly distracted. I don't let this bother me. I complete the spiritual work and say to myself, "Good enough for today." I move on to other things knowing that I will have an opportunity tomorrow to be much more focused in my time with God.
Writing. Writing fresh blog posts 5 days a week is hard. I might not have good ideas to work with. Or I may not be feeling up to the task. I write anyway. And if the quality isn't the best, I settle for "good enough for today" and move on to the next thing on my agenda. Again, I will have another chance to write even better tomorrow.
I've discovered that the more important thing is to keep moving. I shouldn't get bogged down when things don't go according to plan or when things aren't perfect (very few things are anyway). Instead of being perfect, it seems better to work towards some degree of progress each and every day and over a whole lifetime. Settling for "good enough" helps me to keep moving forward and continue making progress in life.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
