I just want to go on record as sharing that I hate that saying “My best just wasn’t good enough.” I think this is self-defeating and a way of being really hard on ourselves. After all, what else can we do but our best? In reality, if we are to stay focused and energized in our home business efforts, we have to find a way to accept that our best IS good enough, and we can only do the best we can and then let the rest of it go…
Wanting to do well, be successful, and striving to be excellent and productive are all really good qualities. This is admirable behavior and can be a strong motivator in keeping us on track in building our businesses. BUT, beating ourselves up, punishing ourselves, using a lot of negative self-talk and kicking ourselves because even though we did our best, we didn’t get the results we wanted (or that someone else expected) is defeating and unproductive.
Think of what it means to be “self-defeating”–it basically means that we are choosing or exhibiting behaviors that keep our own selves from being productive and successful. No one else is doing this to us, we are doing it to ourselves. Not accepting our best and giving ourselves the appreciation and patience we deserve is self-defeating behavior. It will not make us more likely to succeed, not accepting the best we can do and offer will actually make it more likely that we will fail.
Sure, there are days when the very best I can do is not good enough, or it is not what I had hoped. I might have set a goal that was too high, or other things might have popped up that needed to be tended to that kept me from reaching my goal. I still did my best and it was fine. Only I can give myself these self affirmations and only I can accept that my best is always good enough. As home business owners (as well as all the other hats we wear and roles we fill) we can only do what we can do.
Also: Balancing Business and Pleasure
Is Your Home Business Keeping You Up at Night?