I want to tell you about a revolution.
It’s not loud. There are no placards or protests. You won’t see it trending.
But it’s happening quietly, in kitchens at midnight and in office car parks before the morning meeting.
People are starting to whisper something radical:
"What if good enough is actually... enough?"
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We live in an age that worships the exceptional.
Exceptional careers. Exceptional parenting. Exceptional bodies. Exceptional productivity.
Social media shows us highlight reels. Workplaces reward overwork. Schools teach that second place is first loser.
And so we run. Faster. Harder. More. Always more.
Until one day — maybe at 3am, maybe in a supermarket queue, maybe in the shower — we stop and wonder: "Is this it? Is this what all the perfection was for?"
Because here’s the truth nobody posts about:
The pursuit of exceptional often makes us exceptionally exhausted.
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In engineering, there’s a principle called the Pareto effect: 80% of results come from 20% of effort.
The remaining 20% of results? They cost 80% of your energy.
That final 20% is where perfectionism lives. It’s where burnout breeds. It’s where relationships get neglected because you’re "just finishing up."
Good enough isn’t a compromise. It’s a strategic decision about where to spend your finite energy.
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Good enough is sending the email without reading it a fifth time.
Good enough is the dinner that keeps everyone fed, even if it’s beans on toast.
Good enough is the workout that was only 10 minutes but happened.
Good enough is saying "I don’t know" instead of pretending.
Good enough is going to bed with a messy kitchen and sleeping anyway.
It’s not about lowering your standards. It’s about redirecting your standards to what actually matters.
Because the energy you save by not perfecting the unimportant? That’s the energy available for the things that actually deserve your best.
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The hardest part of the good enough revolution isn’t the concept. It’s the permission.
Most of us are waiting for someone — a boss, a parent, a partner, society — to say: "You’ve done enough. You can stop now."
That permission rarely comes from outside.
So here it is, from one recovering perfectionist to another:
You have done enough today.
You are enough today.
Good enough is not a consolation prize. It’s the whole point.
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Pick one thing you’d normally try to make perfect — and deliberately make it good enough instead.
Notice what happens. Notice the discomfort. Notice the freedom.
Then ask yourself: "Did anyone notice the difference except me?"
The answer is almost always no.
Until next Thursday,
With calm,
Ricky
Creator, Embracing Imperfection Academy
P.S. If this resonated, I’d love to hear: what’s one area of life where you’re ready to try "good enough"? Hit reply — I read every message.
