January welcomes the new year and a time of reflection, resolution, and perhaps the acceptance of change or improvement.  It’s a time when we can introspectively itemize the past year, and decide whether we used our best effort or were simply good enough in accomplishing our personal and professional goals.  With all the hope the new year can bring and it’s accounting of our past, it is the personal reflection that is pushed upon us and it’s need for changes, refinements, or tweaks that must be acknowledged.  There is also the financial accountability that tax season brings, along with the bank statements of the holidays and it’s demands, guilt and promises to pay it all off before next year.  Then the yearly job or performance review from your boss really sets the bar for the promise of ability to achieve your new outlook of personal and professional goals.

To that end we must understand mediocrity, understand that it is traditionally not very good and, is often due to little effort.  Whereas, good enough is just that, an effort has been made but the owner could’ve done better.

In publishing, and the television or film industry, a writer’s submission is bought and then usually rewritten, that’s how the business works. If you sell a manuscript, or script so perfect that it doesn’t need rewriting, what’s a company to do? They have a staff of writers whose job it is to rewrite submissions, there’s a budget and a line item, it’s someones job.

If you kept such fine and meticulous records of your finances, you wouldn’t need the services of an accountant or a tax attorney to file your returns with the government.  Even with a software program to help and assist with this process, it’s almost impossible to account for each and every penny.  When is my record keeping good enough to escape an audit?  Only my accountant knows.

Perhaps in your company, you find that your boss needs to correct or revise your presentations:  You could find yourself very annoyed that no matter how hard you try to make your presentations perfect, your boss insists on editing, however, this is good.  Why?  Well because if he doesn’t, then he’d have to find something else of yours to fix, because that’s how the system works. If your presentation doesn’t need revising or reworking, then how can you allow your coworkers or boss to do their jobs?

So where is the line between mediocrity and good enough?  You know the caliber of your work and your proud to have it displayed and acknowledged.  How then can we learn to live with the fact that submitting excellent work, is not always the best synergistic thing to do?

Recently in June 2014, Keith Frankel wrote a blogpost that suggested it was a personal decision when to decide your projects completeness, and I agree wholeheartedly.  Only you know when you’ve done your best work and if you’ve done it correctly.  Only you know exactly what parts you’ve left weak for their revision.  Perhaps awkward and manipulative, but this could be just the way to keep your job and even negotiate a pay raise at the yearly job or performance review.  What a team player?!

Even with this post, is it my best, is it worthy of an accolade? Not in my judgement, however, are there enough holes that are open, to create and sustain a dialogue? Then it’s good enough!