Good enough is a term that I use again and again.
It implies that we do not have to be perfect – indeed, striving to be perfect, and then the disappointment (or anxiety) that we feel when we are not perfect, is harmful to us.
Striving for perfection is associated with the insecure attachment styles of ambivalent and avoidant, where a child’s life is full of shoulds and unreasonable demands in an environment where playfulness and at-ease relationships are looked upon as risky, and are generally avoided.
Most people attribute the term good enough to David Winnicott, the English Child Development practitioner, who used it in respect of parenting – or the Good Enough Mother to be more precise.
I use it in respect of the individual, the parent, the family, the organisation and processes such as growth. I think that good enough marks the difference between being human and being a machine.
A machine has to be perfect or else it will not function – but it is okay for us humans to be good enough!