Do Your Best and That Will be Good Enough

Although I grew up in a very secure and loving home, I have struggled with insecurity and even anxiety at times, espcially as a child.  I always saw others as just a little bit more talented, prettier, more capable or somehow better than myself much of the time.  Although I was a bright student, I was too shy to participate in class unless I was forced to, and I dreaded most anything that involved competition.

This was very frustrating for my parents, who always tried to give me support and praise.  Anytime I was nervous about my perceived inadequacies, my mother would tell me, “Just do your best and it will be good enough.” 

In a world of cut throat competition, that’s not the sentiment of most parents today, but I am thankful for the common sense and faith of my mother.  As it turns out, our best is really all that we can do, and once we have done our best, the results are out of our hands. 

Even at work, when I am faced with learning a new skill or feeling the pressure to please others, I remember that all I can give is 100%.  I have to offer my own set of skills and thoughts, not anyone else’s.  And sure enough, when I apply those skills and express my thoughts, they always have value, and it has always been “enough” to meet the challenges of the day.

The more I have learned this, the more confident I have become.  Now that I am a parent myself, I hope that I have instilled this into my own children, too.  They don’t have to be the best at everything.  Their best will always be good enough. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34).