Stop Working If You Don't Do a Good Enough Job

How often have you said to yourself, “You have done well enough,” and moved on with your life?

Note: This article is based on the work of Darius Foroux, in which he tells us about the importance of performing work well enough to be satisfied with yourself and the results of your work.

If you're anything like me, this is your life's story. It began in school when I had no interest in my grades and only wanted to get through a phase and move on. I used to say, "No one cares about your grades." I firmly believe this is the case in "real life." In fact, no one has ever asked about my grades, not even my parents, whether I was in high school or college.

But this does not mean that no one looks at rates. Some employers take grades seriously, but most professions do not require high marks. If you want to join certain law firms, you need high marks to be considered for employment. However, I did not want to become a lawyer, accountant, or any other profession that requires high grades. While I did not have anything to prove to others, I forgot one person I did everything for me.

“No one can bring you peace but yourself, and nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of the principles,” Wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson.

You do not go to school for others, and you do not work for others, but all we think about is external factors. We think about the schools we want to attend and the companies we want to work in, and we think about what we should say to others when they ask us: “What do we do?”

All of this is wonderful, but it doesn't matter because you only have yourself to worry about; you don't live for anyone else, so why not do your best for yourself only? I have not realized this concept for years, and I do not regret much in life, but I regret wasting my time on trivial issues for many years.

For example, at school previously, I just wanted to succeed, and I just wanted to play basketball and hang out with my friends, and that was good enough for me. I said, “So what is the goal?” I eventually realized that the goal is me, but unfortunately, I cannot change the past.

What things do you do that are “good enough?”

Is it:

1. Your job?
2. Your relationship?
3. Your education?
4. Your health?
5. Your life?

We live in modern civilization with other people, and people often tell us what to do. Your teacher, boss, mom, dad, or wife probably has something to say to you, and sometimes, you don't like it.

In fact, you don't do it for them; you do it for yourself, for your personal development and the quality of your life, but when you're confused, you can't see the goal. We've all been there like you have a wrong job, and you don't do your best in it. Believe me, I've been there like you, but I was wrong.

What's the idea of that? You do not help anyone by putting in the minimum effort just to get paid. “I hate my boss and my company, and I just go to check in and check out, damn them,” I often hear this phrase from people who do not like their job.

I also see many unemployed people who do not want to work for free. If you are unemployed for a long time, you are not helping anyone, so you have to wake up and work for free. It is a satisfying situation for both parties, so do whatever it takes.

What about a “good enough” relationship? I am not sixteen years old, and life is not a romantic movie. As in The Notebook, you and your significant other won't be in a first-degree, passionate love that lasts forever, and you won't pass away simultaneously as you age while holding hands.

But how often do relationships end tragically? There are many reasons why something like this happens, but one of the biggest is a disease called “good enough.”

Do you give your life partner flowers without a special occasion? “Or you'd rather go home and watch an episode of Game of Thrones.”

No More “Good Enough”

1. the report you have to write.
2. the people you have to mentor.
3. the product you're making.
4. the book you're writing.
5. the children you are raising.
6. the strategy you're developing.
7. the test you're doing.
8. the app you're creating.
9. the uncomfortable conversation you're having.

In conclusion

Jony Ive, the designer of most Apple products, including the MacBook Pro, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, said, “If what you are doing is not good enough, stop doing it.”

That is a simple rule to live by: if it's not good enough, stop, think about how to do a good job, and then don't stop again until you do a great job.