In any given moment in life, what’s more satisfying, to feel joyful or to feel like you’re doing a good job?

Even though I decided many years ago to step OFF the stage and to stop pursuing a career as a classical singer, my experience in making music is still tied up in whether I’m doing a good enough job. Apparently, it’s more challenging to enjoy ourselves than it is to beat up on ourselves!

One of my favorite things to do is to improvise with piano and voice, to spontaneously create sound, song, color and beauty out of silence. It fills an emotional and spiritual place in my life.

Here’s the catch: I CAN’T be fixated on getting better at it all the time.

At some very young age, I went from singing and playing freely and UN-self-consciously, to feeling anxious that my creative expression wasn’t good enough. I know, I know…I’m SO not alone. It’s an epidemic!

How quickly people move FROM…”You have such a beautiful voice…” TO…”You should really DO something with it.”

Develop it.

Train it.

Make a career.

Go somewhere!

Do something!

Be someone!

You really have something special!…Don’t waste it…

It’s tricky though, because it often takes away the blissful feeling of delight in ourselves and our gifts. Does that mean it’s not good enough just as it is?

It leads to a sense of hopelessness…Why do I bother?

So, let’s enjoy it just as it is before we get all bent out of shape about making it better, shall we? Let’s enjoy ourselves, just as we are, with all our imperfections.

In the improvisation of life, there’s nothing more important than learning to trust in the beauty and the rightness of what unfolds.

Don’t overthink it.

Trust in what you already know.

Let go and let it flow.

Delight in the moments that light you up and relax into the rest.

Ahhhhhhh.

YOU get to decide if and when something is enough and brings you joy.

YOU get to feel joyful even when I don’t. It’s SWEET if I feel it too but in the end, I’m me and you’re you! (couldn’t resist the spontaneous burst of poetry!)

And here’s the clincher!  You can feel joyful even when you’re NOT doing a really good job! There’s more to life than always doing a good job.

We all get to bask in the beauty of what delights us. It is hands down more fun than doggedly working at getting better at everything all the time.

As you step up to be playful at something today, let yourself drink in the sweetness of GOOD ENOUGH.