Good Enough is Good Enough

posted 28th August 2010    Written by: Renee    CATEGORY: Creativity, Inspiration, Renee, Season 3, What I've Learned

I sat down to write this post and got halfway through it and decided there was no fluidity, no form, no voice, and the whole thing was crap.

It’s writer’s block and it terrifies me. As someone who thrives on feeling productive, knowing that I just scrapped an hour’s worth of work makes me feel helpless and worthless.

I pride myself on my writing efficiency. In undergrad, I could knock out a three-to-five page paper in less than an hour. It would be a coherent, comprehensive work, too. Often, these papers would earn A’s, especially if it was for a class I really enjoyed.

Today? The writing isn’t coming easily. So instead I refill my glass of water… tap out a couple more words…  I check the mail… reread what I’ve written… I grab some string cheese from the fridge… delete a paragraph… I put another coat of nail polish on… and decide, screw it, this idea is not happening today.

And what can I do? How do I find inspiration when my energy turns negative? How should I expect myself to produce top-notch content when I feel sour about every word I type? How do I keep that Judgey McJudgerson voice in my head from constantly judging?

Is there anything more frustrating than not accepting what you produce? Be it music, art, writing, calculations, or whatever your line of work may be. It’s like, you don’t accept it so your client or readers or whatever sure as hell won’t accept it, either. But you know you’re your worst critic, so you try to look at it with someone else’s eyes and it actually just looks worse than you thought it did and please would that judgey voice STOP being all judgey in my head?

You’re certain when you submit it, it’s all mumbo-jumbo and you’re certain you’re just about to be fired because whatever you just submitted is total crap and your four year-old goddaughter could have created something way better than this. Is it naptime yet?

But then I take a step back. I take a deep breath. I roll out the tension in my shoulders. Each article, blog post, paper I write doesn’t have to be perfection. It doesn’t always have to break glass ceilings and burst through uncharted territory and thrill each and every reader. But it has to reach a level of acceptance.

One of my idols, Jane Fonda, writes in her autobiography, “Good enough is good enough.” Sometimes, that’s the best I can do and if I put forth good enough effort, then it’s good enough for me and it’s good enough for my audience. I can be proud of that.

I’m afraid of silly things—revolving doors, salmonella poisoning, things that go bump in the night–but I’m most afraid of not living up to my own expectations. I need to let myself off the hook from time to time and for God’s sake Renee just relax. Being authentic doesn’t mean being perfect, it means being the best version of yourself and meeting yourself where you are and being OKAY with that.

It’s gonna be okay. Relax.

[photo credit: AndWat]

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Comments (18)

18 Responses to “Good Enough is Good Enough”

  • Amy --- Just A Titch Says:
    August 28th, 2010 at 8:07 am

    Love this, Renee. Like you, I'm always most afraid of not meeting my own, ridiculously high standards. I need to print out those last 3 paragraphs :) Great post, lady!

  • Katie [blogs] Says:
    August 28th, 2010 at 9:38 am

    This is a great reminder post, Renee. Being authentic isn't going to be this huge lightbulb that makes everything all happy, all of the time. Things are going to suck, you're going to fail, but it doesn't make you a failure.

    Love this!

  • Melissa Breau Says:
    August 28th, 2010 at 12:03 pm

    I think we've all been here. And despite your worries you produced a awesome post that resonates strongly with almost any artistic professional.

  • Emily Suess Says:
    August 28th, 2010 at 3:39 pm

    Girl, can I identify with this post, but I'm infatuated with the picture, with the quote "writing is allowed." I need to put that on the wall in my office.

  • Alisha Says:
    August 29th, 2010 at 6:36 am

    Being authentic doesn't mean being perfect.

    Man, oh, man. So true. It is a great reminder that whatever you are doing in that moment, as long as you are trying your best is good enough. So hard to let go of those expectations we have, but it's necessary in order tomove forward.

  • erinmakesitwork Says:
    August 29th, 2010 at 5:41 pm

    As a freelance writer I struggle with this everyday. When my scores are just average I get down, until I remember, it was still good enough for publication. Way to go with reminding yourself that you are wonderful, just the way you are.

  • Kim Says:
    August 30th, 2010 at 6:14 am

    I totally hear you – I'm my own worst enemy in every way – I hold the bar so high for myself and then give myself a huge hard time when I don't meet it. It's ridiculous. It's unrealistic. And it just causes me unneeded stress; nobody is perfect and "good enough" is sometimes all you can muster. And that's ok! It's an important reminder for all of us so thank you!

  • emmajoan Says:
    August 30th, 2010 at 9:29 am

    Haha my Judgy McJudgerson is the worst too – thanks for being so honest and authentic with us Renee :)

  • Renee Says:
    August 31st, 2010 at 5:26 am

    Thank you, Amy. Why do we feel we have to set the bar so high for ourselves?

  • Renee Says:
    August 31st, 2010 at 5:27 am

    Oh, most definitely. Authenticity does not equal complete happiness and fulfillment. It's just being comfortable in your skin and going after your dreams with tenacity.

  • Renee Says:
    August 31st, 2010 at 5:27 am

    Thank you, Melissa. I honestly didn't know where the post was going when I started to write it!

  • Renee Says:
    August 31st, 2010 at 5:27 am

    Isn't that photo awesome? What great advice.

  • Renee Says:
    August 31st, 2010 at 5:28 am

    Good enough is good enough… we just have to figure out how comfortable we are with good enough.

  • Renee Says:
    August 31st, 2010 at 5:28 am

    YOU are wonderful, too!

  • Renee Says:
    August 31st, 2010 at 5:28 am

    I've always been my own biggest critic. It's way too stressful!

  • Renee Says:
    August 31st, 2010 at 5:29 am

    Thank you for reading, emmajoan!

  • nikkiklecha Says:
    September 1st, 2010 at 6:12 am

    love it – "Good enough is good enough" – I need to remember that daily. Thanks for being real with us, and yes, this post is totally more than good enough. :)

  • Lindsey Says:
    September 1st, 2010 at 9:03 am

    It's crazy how our own self-judgement is our worst enemy, and often. Thanks for the reminder that perfection isn't the ultimate goal. I think this is a struggle we all face!

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