I was speaking with my brother the other day, and he asked me if I ever just started laughing out loud driving down the road thinking how lucky we are? I said I knew exactly what he was talking about. As far as I am concerned, COVID or no COVID, political embarrassment or not, I am pretty much pleased with my life.
For the first sixty years of my life, I spent “laughing and scratching” down the road based on the mantra, “Good enough is good enough.” At age 60, and for the next ten years, I began questioning this philosophy. Looking back over my life, I started to think that maybe I should have spent a little more time pursuing excellence. Perhaps if I did, I would still be “laughing and scratching” but at a higher level.
Then I read this passage this morning, and I began to ease off the accelerator.
“Perfectionism is a self-protective mechanism that prevents us from flourishing through our vulnerability, and it’s particularly pervasive in professional contexts. Perfectionism isn’t the pursuit of excellence, nor is it about self-improvement. It’s really about attempting to win approval, where one’s sense of self-worth is reliant on external measures of success. The sooner we let it go, the sooner we can start finding the courage to succeed and lead on our own terms.
Maybe being good enough was good enough. Maybe good enough is good enough at times. Maybe you need to lighten up a bit and spend a little more time just being you.
In all likelihood, you did not get this far by accident. Today, tomorrow, and for the rest of the year, keep doing what you are doing with a little personal flair. If nothing else, you just might find yourself “laughing and scratching” until you too break out into laughter while driving down the road.
P.S. – Find more reasons to laugh and perhaps, fewer reasons to scratch.
Mike Marchev is always looking for a few more proactive travel professionals to join his Sales and Marketing Club. Send for details.
