Good Enough

I always struggle with the concept of "good enough".

A former counselor taught me the phrase, "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing badly." Depending on the day, it seems either profound, or insane.

(Yes, this is a conversation with myself... If you've never tried it, don't knock it.)

"I wonder if I could do that?"

"Sure you could. You've known a lot of less capable people who do it."

"Yeah, but could I do it WELL."

"That depends on your definition of "well". You're good enough to try."

"Good enough. That sounds like I'm lousy at it."

"No, it just means you're good enough. Good enough to start. You're currently competent, but in a place to learn more. Lot's of people shoot for competent."

"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that..I mean...well, I don't want to be good enough or competent. If I try something,I want to be GOOD at it."

"How can you be GOOD, or GREAT, or even FABULOUS, if you don't start as good enough? You have the the basic skills, now you just have to take a risk. You have to be willing to try and fail. You have to DO THE WORK."

"The problem is that I only want to do what I KNOW I can do well. I'm willing to do the work, but only if it's going to be a sure thing. I need to know the rules. I want to do the right thing. If I do break the rules, I want to KNOW I'm breaking them. "

"What happened to play?!? What happened to trying new things? Remember , well behaved women rarely make history."

"I don't know. Is that even Christian. I mean, God wants us to do great things for Him. What if I get off on a tangent and do the wrong things. What if it's all about me? "

"Quit pulling the God card at the wrong time. Get over it, Raedeana. Would you accept this from anyone else? Did God make you just to swat you and spit on you if you make a mistake? What about Grace? What about the parable of the talents?"

So, it's time for a challenge...time to take a risk. I keep saying I'd like to go back to school, and Jay keeps encouraging me to take Wednesday evenings off. I'm going to start with a writing class at the Hugo House.