Bad Belief Systems You Must Lose if You Want to WIN - Part 16 - It'll-do-ism

"It'll-do-ism" is the belief that good enough is good enough. It is the opposite of perfectionism (Bad Belief System #5).

The day I turned 16-years old, I already knew how to drive, so I got my driver's license. I wasn't a very good driver (though I thought I was), but I was good enough.

When I was 19-years old, I married the cutest, sweetest little Colorado girl you ever saw. I was good enough to win her love and convince her to marry me, but neither of us was good enough on our wedding day to guarantee a happy marriage, though we were married for over 52 years.

If you're content with "it'll do," you live life at the entry-level. Where there's no growth— no personal or professional development, no expansion of knowledge, or no increase in skills—home-life gets dull, relationships grow stale, work seems tedious, and life, in general, feels meaningless.

The antidote to "it'll-do-ism" is not perfectionism; it's persistent, intentional improvement. I read that at the peak of Tiger Wood's golf career, he employed five coaches. Why? Because he wanted his golf game to improve — for Tiger, it'll-do was never good enough.

At 18-years of age, I rolled my dad's 1961 Rambler American 4-door sedan. How did that happen? My unfettered driving skills didn't improve much between age 16 and 18; I thought they were good enough. Wrong.

That cute little Colorado girl and I worked hard to live happily ever after, but that meant we both had to move from it'll-do to I love you enough to become a better person. Even so, I look back and think of all the ways I could have been a better husband. I was good enough to keep her with me until she passed away, but now, I realize I was often willing to let it'll-do be good enough.

Here's how to avoid living life at entry-level: Each day, make small improvements in the important areas of your life. Be a better man or woman. Enrich your relationships with those you love most. Increase your knowledge; take a course or read a book. Improve your professional skills. In some small way, make yourself better today than yesterday.

When you resolve to progress beyond "it'll-do-ism," here's what intentional improvement can do: Your relationships will blossom, your work will get easier, your health could improve, your joy will deepen, and your life will hold meaning.

On this subject of "it'll-do-isms," my words alone are not good enough, so I'll open my Bible for the last best word on "it'll-do-ism" — "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters." Col. 3:23