Good Enough

My long-time yoga teacher began every class by saying How you do one thing is how you do everything. He was encouraging us to put our mind, body, and soul into our practice and to carry that philosophy out of the studio into all other areas of our lives.

I identified so deeply with that quote that I had it printed on a sign above my desk.  I used it as a touchstone to motivate me at work, at home, and in the community. It reminded me to give my best in all situations. For decades, it was my mantra. How you do one thing is how you do everything.

However, the problem with that attitude, was that I wore busyness and achievement as a badge of honor. I never let a committee sign-up sheet pass me by. I supported a ridiculous number of organizations with both my time and money. I performed at optimal level whether cleaning the house, fund-raising for a cause, or making posters for a third-grade Halloween party.

There is a never-ending list of things to which we can devote our energy. We only need to watch tv or scroll social media for ten minutes before we are bombarded with the countless ways we could improve ourselves. Good, worthwhile pursuits that will bring meaning, joy, and order to our lives. Weight training, cold plunges, protein, meditation, mindfulness, journaling, volunteering, home cooking, parenting tips, trends in decorating and fashion. Just today, I was informed by a lifestyle expert that the color of the fall is Mocha Mousse. Apparently, by incorporating this color (which pretty much just looks brown) into my home and wardrobe, I will feel serene and empowered.

There was a time when I would have applied the quote to every one of these recommendations because I truly believed how you do one thing is how you do everything. However, with maturity, has come perspective. I know now that how you do one thing should definitely not be how you do everything. I now have a different saying above my desk.

Good enough.

Assigning urgency and significance to every issue and task makes us tired and ineffective. Our calendars should reflect what is truly important to us, not what we agreed to do because we felt guilty or didn’t want to appear lazy. It’s difficult to accomplish much of significance when our days are packed with things that will ultimately not matter.

There will, of course, be times when we need to do things simply because they are important to someone else. For the most part, however, we can be selective. We can find a few things that matter most and give them our very best. For all else, we can make peace with good enough. Our no to less critical things will make space for those we consider essential.

Good enough to the appearance of our churches, and yes to open doors. Good enough to the meal, and yes to gathering around a table. Good enough to finding the perfect words, and yes to showing up. Not everything requires our peak performance. In many areas, mediocrity is perfectly sufficient.

There really isn’t much about which I am passionate. Jesus, my family, a handful of friends, two causes, and one hobby. To those things, I enthusiastically say yes and give my all. To everything else, I say good enough.