The Curse of "Good Enough"

Are you settling or are you truly fine where you are?

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Exploring near my home in China, right across the border from Hong Kong.

I had two good job offers when I was starting out in my teaching career and I took the one that paid less. And if I may be so frank, one that most people would have considered a dead end.

Perhaps a downfall (or strength, however you want to think about it) is my impulsive nature. During my second year in university, I went on a white water rafting trip with some friends and our guide was from Australia. After one single conversation about what he loved about his home turf, I decided that I’d like to visit the place myself. So I bought a one way ticket, and decided on my travel itinerary after I landed in Sydney.

I was dead broke at the time, living with my parents temporarily, working at the restaurant I used to when I was in university, and fresh off from a breakup. Going for more money would have been the logical choice. 

With the salary I would have earned from the “stable” teaching gig in Canada, I could have paid for rent and all the accouterments an adult needs. Getting a permanent teaching position was what many in my position would have envied. The salary was decent, you had the support of the union. There was also the infamous so-called “two over three,” where you work for two years, take one off and be able to come back to a teaching job afterwards. You could opt to be paid while you take your sabbatical by stretching the salary you would have made over the two years you were teaching.

But I wanted more than a steady paycheck. The world was still calling my name. 

The salary I was offered for the teaching gig in South Korea was good enough. The contract also offered modest housing and a flight to and from my home country. My living situation was by no means fancy — I didn’t have a couch for months and some of my furnishings were good quality items from the curb — but I was content. 

Doesn’t sound like a dead end situation does it? It could have been.

For one, I was teaching ESL, or English as a Second Language. A worthy vocation, but my employer only cared about getting students to stay at the school. Which meant that even if the kiddos weren’t listening, or completing their school work and tests, or showed up, they somehow managed to pass or be given high praise. 

I wanted more for my teaching career. My hope was to either save up enough to move back to Canada and start my “real” career there, or land a coveted teaching position at a prestigious international school. Teaching ESL wasn’t considered prestigious by any means in those circles. It also didn’t necessarily count as “real” teaching on my resume.

Meaning, if I were to stick around for more than a few years in South Korea at these sorts of gigs, I may have very well signed a death sentence on my teaching career. Supposedly.

Looking around at the sea of expat ESL teachers who have been there for a while, I was scared of settling. What would happen if I sat here years later, in the same bar, on my 8th drink complaining about how bored I was? Or how terrible the children were? 

I lived extremely comfortably in South Korea. The local co-workers helped me pay my bills, do life admin tasks like getting a cell phone, and even doing research on travel plans. I had no housing or transportation costs. My disposable income was an amount I considered insane. I could have had a decent life in South Korea — I didn’t have to adult!

But I was scared if I settled for good enough. I worried about the possibility of ordering a 9th drink. 

Having and being “good enough” is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it helps you to listen to yourself and what you really want. Even what will make you happy. On the other, it could be used as an excuse because you’re scared of looking beyond the “what if” and taking action towards something new, maybe even something unconventional.

When my teaching contract came to an end in South Korea, those feelings of not “good enough” led me to an international school who hired me as one of their teachers.

This same feeling of “good enough” made me realize I loved where I was living in China at the time, even though every other day I complained about it. 

Eight years later, it was no longer “good enough” and my family and I settled in the U.S.

And what I’d consider the most dramatic instances of “good enough,” my desire to be able to support my family led me to quitting my teaching career. I switched careers to become a freelance writer. I questioned myself every step of the way, wondering if my impulsive nature was going to ruin me.

But I’m still standing.

Don’t let the curse of “good enough” stop you from doing what you love, what you most desire. Even when others may tell you you’re crazy. Even if you think you’re crazy. Take the time to sit down, get quiet and still, and ask yourself the scariest question of all: “Is this really good enough, or am I settling?”

You know the answer. Move towards it. I’ll be here on the sidelines cheering you on.