Good enough?

I have struggled this week to define for myself what is "good enough". I draw the line where I draw the line, but one thing is for certain. My line is not in the same place as others. I tell the kids frequently: "if something is worth doing, then it is worth doing right" but the question then comes... What is "right".


Are there different expectations of an amateur versus a professional? Clearly, there are, but all of the traditional measures are grey in my mind recently. The world defines a "professional" in many ways but the most prevalent one is... making money for doing it. My problem, is that I don't equate value to the activity from the money that it generates. Perhaps, that is a result of experiencing and seeing so much excellence in my life that has gone unrewarded. My friends and colleagues in the musical world, in science, in academia, are brilliant contributors to their world, but they don't receive money for their contributions. More often they are treated as arrogant, pompous, bookheads... What they care about more than anything, indeed, what I care about more than just about anything else in the world is the respect of my peers, not "success" as defined by the world.

I am a walking contradiction. I say that I care only about what people think of me, yet, in reality I operate according to only my internal method and success "clock". I continue to do what I know works, or at least what has always worked in the past. My gut was right, I was lucky, blessed. I didn't earn that instinct, it was a gift. This doesn't match. I know musicians are exceptional, because of my gut. I trust or do not trust based on my gut. I establish the very reputation I seek only by succeeding in people's eyes and minds. My community assigns value based on performance, success, output; yet people are valuable for who they are not what they do.

Ouch...My head hurts from this type of thinking.


I have been taught that people are what matter from my experiences, my church, prayer, and the Bible. (from God) Even with all of that, clearly, it is not part of me at an instinctive/elemental level.

I am driven by results, by getting it done, but also by seeing others "get it done". What "IT" is doesn't really matter. They can always do it better. Maybe I am naive, arrogant, or just blessed/cursed. I think I can help them do it better. So far, I have a knack for finding the success equation. Can I encourage others to find it?

Passion, Discipline, and the Life application of those activities, centered around people.