Sometimes Good Enough Is the Best You Can Do and That’s Okay
Give yourself permission to half-ass some things
Welcome to Maturing—part personal reflection, part advice column on navigating emotional growth, self-discovery, and all the awkward, messy, and uncomfortable moments that come with healing.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about growth—not the perfectly curated kind, but the messy, in-progress, figuring-it-out-as-you-go kind. The kind that doesn’t always come with a big breakthrough or a perfect takeaway, just small shifts in how I move through the world.
There was a time when I believed that if I wasn’t giving 100% to something, I was failing. If I didn’t have the energy to write a perfectly polished newsletter, deep-clean my space, or show up fully in every single area of my life, I was somehow dropping the ball.
But lately, I’ve been realizing that sometimes, a little is enough. Half-assed is enough.
Maturing means realizing that even when you can't give your all to something, giving what little you have is still a form of consistency, dedication, and commitment.
Even when I am giving 30% of myself, I am still showing up. I am still committed. I am still working toward giving myself the life I feel I deserve. We can’t always be at 100%. And trying to be? That’s a fast track to burnout. When my phone is at 30%, it still works the way it would when it’s at 100%. What if we allowed ourselves to give 50%, 30%, even 10% sometimes—and trusted that it’s still enough?
Consider what "being enough" truly means to you. Does it mean perfection? Flawlessness? Never running empty? Perhaps we need a broader definition—one that embraces the duality of life and holds space for whatever resources we have. Like the old adage about turning lemons into lemonade, even our smallest offerings can blossom into something sweet, meaningful, and beautiful.
Giving yourself permission to lean into life's messiness and showing up with whatever you have—that's both an act of generosity toward yourself and a form of self-compassion.
Where in your life can you embrace good enough as a different way of doing things? This might mean moving at a slower pace, operating with less energy, or choosing not to do something at all.
Not everything in life requires our full effort all the time. Some things just need to get done with whatever resources you have. And that’s okay.
I needed this. Thank you.