WHAT IF YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH AT WORK?
A playful exercise on accepting our journey
Are you good enough yet? As humans the drive to improve is part of our own true nature. From birth we have a perpetual need to develop our skills on emotional, social and cognitive levels. We grow up in a culture that expects us to improve constantly and once we reach a learning goal, the next one is already on the horizon. This structure doesn’t just apply to our formal education, it stretches way out into our adult lives. In our jobs we are continually challenged to improve our skills, and develop personally and professionally. But while this drive for improvement fosters our growth, it also creates a great deal of unhealthy pressure. In a world obsessed with optimization and perfection, we never feel good enough. We don’t ever arrive at our destination and reach a stage of just being satisfied with us. As a result we burn out from constantly striving to get to a place where we can shine. But what if we actually are good enough?
The idea that we are complete just the way we are is simple yet radical. How can we be good enough, when people around us are smarter, thinner, richer, healthier, happier and more successful? We are all experts in the areas where we are not yet good enough, while we take for granted what we are good at. But what if we didn’t take ourselves for granted? What if we valued the learning journey we were on and realized how much we had already grown? And what if we let go of aspiring to perfection and just settled with who we were? Let’s stay with this idea for a moment…
// Think about a metaphor that represents your own development, such as a tree, a path or a mountain.
// Imagine you zoom out to see the whole process.
// Notice the obstacles you have overcome and everything you have learned.
// Notice where you are right now on this journey and press “pause”.
// Look at where you came from and what you have become.
// And now — just for this experiment — feel that you are enough.
// Realize that all you need, you already have.
// Stay with this feeling and acknowledge the effort it took you.
// Now that you are good enough, how do you want to continue your journey?
When we change the drive for growth and development, we still grow. However, we grow from a source of strength, and not from a feeling of inferiority. This is much more powerful and fulfilling. Only you can allow yourself to reach this level of being complete. And believe it or not, you have reached it: You are good (enough)!
