Thursday, August 14, 2008

Good Enough is NOT Enough

At the beginning of every year I create a motto that inspires me to stay on the track I choose for my life. A few years ago my motto was "Good Enough is NOT Enough". What this statement means to me is to not ever believe I am done....that I will always have room to grow. There will always be more to learn. I can always improve. This doesn't mean that I don't experience a feeling of contentment or serenity....I do feel peace most of the time. What it means is there's a force within that keeps me excited to be alive and desiring more experiences of JOYFUL adventures, relationships and learning.

I've been watching the Olympics each evening this week and have noticed this quality in the athletes. Even though they may win their current match or game, they are still striving to improve. Being good enough to win a gold medal is not enough......they continue to train to improve their time or their score.

Something to be aware of when living in the space of stretching into a bigger game is if you shift into a zone of never being happy with yourself. If this is true, you are missing the mark. If you believe that you must do "great" things to prove your value in this world, or if you are always looking ahead to the next accomplishment in hopes that this new thing will be "it", you may feel empty and frustrated most of the time. This is an indicator that your ego, not your inner spirit, is running the show.

Enjoy where you are now. Loving yourself unconditionally, knowing you are not what you "do" creates a foundation for all of your experiences to be joy-filled. The events of your life are merely the expressions you are making of "you". They are meant to be enjoyed.

A few guideposts for me to be sure I am staying on a joyful life path is to check in with how I feel in any moment and ask myself a few questions. Am I enjoying myself in the process as I am training, learning, etc.? Is this what I really want, or am I doing it to please someone else? Am I attached to having a specific outcome?

In the end it is not the achievement, it is the JOY along the way that rings my bell. Knowing I can always grow, even when taking baby steps, is the thrill. So, I will never be done. A good enough life is not enough for me.

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