Skip to main content

Going from Striving for Excellence to Showing Up and Doing Enough

I have been experiencing a lot of this in my life recently.

Being a Type A person, I have always strived for excellence. I read books on how to improve my mind, body, and soul. I have a million Pinterest ideas on how to maximize my time, money, and energy.

I have always measured myself against the standard benchmarks of life, and I believed that striving for excellence was the ultimate goal.

I don't know why, but recently everything in my life seems to be telling me, "Forget that."

My newer employer doesn't care about maximizing talents or truly increasing KPIs to reach our prime potential. They care more about people feeling good than doing good. It's been a hard adjustment, to say the least.

I see it showing up in my own goals, too. Maybe it's me getting older. Maybe I'm slowing down. Or maybe it's the reality of showing up every day to a company that doesn't promote that relentless pursuit of excellence. Whatever the reason, I don't seem to care about being excellent anymore.

The strange thing is, I feel like I'm slacking off, yet I'm still active and highly productive. I still get things done and still have a lot of goals. Life just doesn't require as much from me as it used to.

My kids are grown now, and that's another area of life that keeps reinforcing the same message: "You're good. Relax a little."

So where does that leave someone who built a strong work ethic around striving for excellence?

Do I just mess around more and become mediocre?

It's been a challenge, to say the least.

I'm learning that being bored is okay. I'm learning that giving less than 100% is also okay. But some days, it's hard. I get a little sad thinking about not maximizing myself the way I used to.

Maybe the real challenge isn't learning how to strive harder. Maybe it's learning how to be content when striving is no longer required.

For most of my life, I found purpose in becoming more, doing more, and achieving more. Excellence wasn't just a goal, it became part of my identity. So when life starts telling you to slow down, relax, and simply enjoy what you've built, it can feel less like freedom and more like losing a part of yourself.

But perhaps there is another kind of growth waiting here.

Maybe this season isn't about maximizing every minute or squeezing every ounce of potential from the day. Maybe it's about learning that our value isn't tied to constant improvement. Maybe it's about discovering that showing up, doing enough, and enjoying the life we've worked so hard to create is its own form of success.

I'm not sure I fully believe that yet.

But I'm starting to think that excellence isn't always found in pushing harder. Sometimes it's found in knowing when you've already done enough.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

On a mission

13 years ago... My husband and I were in the process of becoming overseas missionaries.  We were pretty far along in the process, approved by our mission agency, blessed by our elders, and waiting the call from missionaries in Latin America. We knew we had many things to overcome to make it a reality but we were willing and able.  We never thought God was going to shut the door as far as he opened it. Spring of 2006 - was the worst season of our lives.  When we heard the word "cancer" we crumbled.  We didn't know what to expect but we also found out we were "expecting." Between having a baby, termites, job loss and cancer - we closed the door in great great sadness. God used us in some pretty amazing ways but there has also been a small void in my life wondering what it would been like to serve him in the field.  Almost every day of my life, I keep asking God ... "What am I supposed to be doing?" Why does it feel like I'm fail...
Post a Comment
Read more

Are You Growing Your People Like a Gardener?

Lately at work, I've been feeling like that dead office plant. You know the one sitting in the corner, all wilted, dried up, and barely hanging on. It's surprisingly easy to feel malnourished and deflated. For a plant, it's a lack of water and sunshine. For people, it's often a lack of encouragement, support, and motivation. I love buying plants. I love when they're full, green, and thriving. The problem is, I'm not always great at keeping them that way. Recently, I came across a checklist for growing healthy plants: Know your plants. Make sure the containers or pots are big enough. Provide the right amount of sunshine. Water them only as often as needed. Fertilize them. Check on them regularly. Keep pests away. As I was reading the list, I realized how much of it applies to being a manager. Know your employees. Make sure they're in positions where they can grow and flourish. Encourage and motivate them. Provide constructive feedback. Pay them fairly. Che...
Post a Comment
Read more

Gesso

As an occasional painter, I've been known to take an old painting and paint over it. There's a product called white gesso and it's purpose is to prime a canvas for oil painting and pre-prime and old paintings to be used again. It hides all the color that is under it but it doesnt hide the texture or previous strokes. Often times in life we have to somewhat start all over again.  Perhaps it's restarting after a bad relationship, or a medical procedure that had left you different than before, or a job or career that hasn't really fulfilled you.  Most of the time we find ourselves wanting to cover up a major mistake. Sometimes we wish life had a gesso option.  Something that could cover up everything that was there before.  A new start... As for me, I know it's my sinful heart that longs for the whiteness and freshness of a new clean canvas.  One thing that often gives me great comfort is... Jesus is my gesso.  He paid for my sins and his life ma...
Post a Comment
Read more