I often hear my father’s voice in my head: “Good Enough.” It was one of his well-known sayings. When I was younger, I thought of it as not caring about the end result or being too tired to try harder. He usually said it in relation to finishing a house project.

Ernie Keeton

But as I’ve aged, I realize “good enough” is actually great.

In my early years of writing, I wasn’t very good at finishing a story. I might have had a beginning and an end, or just an end. One day, I realized I wasn’t finishing a story because, heck, an unfinished story couldn’t really be critiqued, right? I was afraid of what a reader or a writing group might think. Once I figured this out, my writing took off.

We are not perfect. We are human. When a writer is willing to give up the idea of perfection, words flow. First drafts appear. The writing is “good enough” to share.

Working in a “Good Enough” state allows for many positive outcomes.

–The philosophy acts as a healthy boundary against perfectionism.
–It implies the goal has been met without exhausting yourself by making it flawless.
–It helps finish things. Too many opportunities are lost, wanting to do one more tweak to a resume before applying for that dream job, or one last edit of a video that never gets posted.
–It protects your energy. You might put 100% into your writing and re-writing, but at some point, you need to direct that energy to something else, like feeding your pooch. Also, not everything deserves 100% of your energy, so choose wisely.
–It reduces anxiety. Allowing for imperfections takes the pressure off. You can complete something without it being perfect. Like this blog post.
–You’re leaving room for future growth. Your first draft will need work. But bravo for finishing it! Your writing improves the more you write.
–You are able to actually finish and move forward to another project.

Having the “Good Enough” mindset is actually a sign of confidence. To say “this short story is good enough to submit” is a victory. Go for it!

If you disagree with this philosophy and want to argue that perfection is the way to go, consider this.

Perfection, masquerading as ambition or high standards, can work against you.

–You may never start. It’s not the right time, season, or location. If you are worried about something being excellent right out of the shoot, you will delay.
–It makes finishing hard. This was my old crutch.
–It may shrink your creativity. You might feel you need to fit into a box, or that your ideas aren’t good enough.
–It can blow something out of proportion. A small thing that goes wrong can feel ginormous.
–It moves the goal posts. Even success might not feel sweet because you are always thinking that you can do better.

My father was right after all. “Good Enough” is the way to go. He has been gone for twenty-six years, although it feels like yesterday. Miss you, Pop. And thank you.

Ernie Keeton, always working on something

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Allison Keeton writes the Midcoast Maine Mystery series. Arctic Green, Book Two, is now available. She can be reached at http://www.akeetonbooks.com