Issue #139: When Things Fade, Navigating “Good Enough,” and More

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INSIGHTS (on leadership/self-leadership)

One of time’s cruelest tricks is its ability to make things fade. And it doesn’t discriminate in so doing - everything fades. Couch leather in the sun. The paint on your car. Unpracticed skills. Sure, sometimes you want things to fade, like those jeans you’ve washed ten times or that bad hair-dye job. But how many times have you wistfully realized that something is fading, that you wish, wasn’t?

A relationship.

A memory.

A competency.

Feelings of usefulness.

A sense of passion and joy for how you spend your days and live your life.

Yes, time is undefeated. We grow older. Change wafts in. The world moves on. Things fade. But it also has an Achilles heel. Time does not have complete agency over the rate at which all things fade, or if they ever truly do. Which means, you play a part.

What could you do, starting today, to rekindle that relationship that you can just feel withering away? To recapture and recreate the spirit of a cherished memory that’s waning in the paling light of time-gone-by? To brush up on something you were once good at that brought you joy? To contribute and be of value in your unique way once again? To relight that fire inside that has dwindled to a smoldering ember? To recapture what it means to be alive and have influence over how you generate happiness?

What is fading, that you wish, wasn’t? How might it flourish, once again?

IMPERFECTIONS (a mistake many make)

Here’s a great hack for avoiding a common mistake that keeps people from achieving more of what matters. Get good at discerning when “good enough” is good enough, and when it isn’t.

It’s a major productivity boost when you can press past perfectionism to acknowledge something’s in a “good enough” state to move forward. Doing so keeps you from spinning in incrementalism and overthinking, burning time that could be spent on more worthwhile endeavors.

At the same time, sometimes, “good enough” is not good enough. We settle far too often. In fact, Michelangelo said , “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it’s too low and we reach it.” And quite often, we settle when we’re closer to a greater, more meaningful outcome than we realize.

Key here is to keep this tenuous balance top of mind. Keep asking yourself, “Is ‘good enough,’ good enough, here?” Sometimes it will be, sometimes it won’t. Either way, intention behind this tension will help you avoid outcomes you don’t want.

IMPLEMENTATION (one research-backed strategy, tip, or tool)

Here’s a simple tip to drive awareness of how you’re showing up in the world. Periodically ask yourself, “What shadow am I casting?”

Meaning, how are you projecting yourself? What’s the shape of your impact and image? Is it something you’re proud of? It’s worth asking, because your shadow is always there, following you around – a reflection of you. And while we’re at it, are others in your shadow too often? Are there opportunities for you to bring others out into the light of appreciation, recognition, and autonomy?

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? Check out my Soundview 2021 Best Business Book selection and Bulk Books bestseller, Leading from the Middle: a Playbook for Managers to Influence Up, Down, and Across the Organization.

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