By Marianne Wathne Johansen

Good isn’t good enough

We were asked to do something we normally wouldn’t do over the holidays, so I read a self-help book. My best friend and I are both slightly socially awkward introverts, and my Christmas gift from her was a book called “How not to give a fuck”. This isn’t something I’d normally read, but I thought I’d give it a go. It was written by psychologists after all, and I had nothing to lose except for some self-doubt.

Rather than making me less insecure, it actually did the opposite — it made me appreciate the insecurity. It made me realise the fact that I never think my work is good enough is what makes it better. I always push my ideas further and I’ll stay up all night to get an idea that’s better than just good. It might mean that I get rather stressed, frustrated and sometimes even anxious. It means that my partner has to calm me down at times and try convincing me that it’s good enough, only to be met with a snappy comment like “no, we can still push it a lot further”. Maybe being insecure isn’t so bad after all.

If you’re going through hell, keep going. There’s always a better idea.