“The biggest temptation is to settle for too little.” Unknown
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to fall into the trap of allowing things just to be “okay”?
When things are terrible, they usually make us uncomfortable enough that we eventually realize we need to do something different and change things up. But, when things are “okay” there is a tendency to kind of just “let them be” and hope they will somehow magically improve in the future.
Well, you know what I have decided? I am so done with settling for anything around me just remaining “okay” and of course I want you to join me. One of my new favorite phrases is — “okay is not good enough”. I really have worked to apply this standard to all areas of my life because for too many years I used to settle for “okay”.
I can remember thinking to myself, it’s fine if I just feel “okay” at my job because I can find enjoyment in other areas of my life. Or, it’s not an issue if I just feel “okay” today because there is always tomorrow. However, in both instances, I was wrong – “okay” wasn’t good enough and I really was supposed to be doing something to change things from just being “okay”.
Be On The Lookout for “Okay”
It took awhile, but I finally realized that we’ve got to be on the lookout for any time we become complacent and start settling for “okay”. It’s not that everything is supposed to always be amazing. We are obviously going to have our challenges and issues are going to come our way that we need to work through.
But, when we notice that we are continually just feeling “okay” day after day about anything, that’s our sign that we’ve got to take action and change things up. Because, one of the most important things is the way we feel and our mindset as we move through the day.
Ideally, we always want to have the right type of energy flowing and we want to be able to really live and enjoy the moment that is right in front of us. When we feel that things are just “okay”, we are less likely to pour all of our passion and energy into them and that gets in the way of us really being able to live and enjoy the present moment.
So, what do you do?
The Possibility of Today:
When you realize that anything in your life is just ”okay” you have two options:
(1) change it; do something else OR
(2) change and improve your perspective
Those really are the only two options we have because continuing to accept things being “okay” or sitting around and complaining about them, but not doing all that we can to improve them gets us nowhere. It means we have settled and allowed something to be less than it should be. So, take a look at the things around you and how you feel. If you detect anything that is just “okay”, it’s time to take action. Here’s a list of things to be on the lookout for.
18 Things That Shouldn’t Just be “Okay”
1. Your job
2. How you feel in general
3. Your relationship
4. Your friendships
5. Your thoughts
6. How you feel about yourself
7. Your motivation
8. Your progress
9. How you move through the day
10. Your confidence
11. Your choices
12. Your passion
13. The way you treat other people
14. The way people treat you
15. How you experience the present moment
16. Your decisions
17. Your actions
18. Your relaxation time
Live Today Better than Yesterday
Did you like this article? Please share your thoughts with me about this article below in the comment section. Also, if you need to contact me for anything, feel free to use the contact form or e-mail me directly at sibylchavis@gmail.com. I always love hearing from you.
Wow……That email really hit home for me. It made me think about my life. Thank you.
Linda: I am so glad. That message hit home for me too awhile back and so it is one of my passion points:)
wow you have a beautiful energy i have seen from your email ,life you can easily you live when you know how to create your beautiful energy it needs understanding
thank you very much
Thanks so much Tamerat for the e-mail and the kind words:) They really mean a lot to me so thank you.
Hi Sibyl.
Thank you for your inspirational messages. I split up from my husband almost one year ago and I still find life incredibly difficult. Just living day to day has been mentally and physically challenging to the point I have contemplated suicide on numerous occasions.
I am slightly stronger now one year on, but he never ever leaves my thoughts for one second of every day. Life can be hard, especially in this economic climate, for everyone let alone if you are also going through emotional turmoil on top of everyday stresses.
So Thank you for your emails I have only just subscribed, but they give me strength to carry on.
Yours Faithfully
Amanda
Hey Amanda: Thanks so much for the comment. Please check your e-mail. I have responded there to you.
OMG words of incougement after doing an evaluation of ME I know now that OK ain’t SHIT Make it better !
Thanks for dropping by Ms. Althea and taking the time to comment. Always appreciated.
Nicely put Sibyl. I like ‘change and improve your perspective’ a lot…since we don’t get what we want in life, we get who we are. It’ll always come down to our ‘beingness’ – how we see ourselves.
Elle
xoxo
So very true Elle:) I have realized that most of the times when I am feeling “off” or that something is below what it should be, the problem is usually my perspective. Thanks so much for the comment and for dropping by.
Interesting post… along the lines of Derek Sivers in that it’s either “hell yeah!” or “no.”
Although, there’s sometime to be said about being, “Ok.”
The mind is naturally wired to place more importance on emotional states of either high joy or sadness. Meaning, when we experience great joy or deep sadness, we naturally place more significance on these experiences. As a result, we place the least amount of value on seemingly neutral emotional experiences. Which makeup the majority of our lives.
I’ve had times of tremendous sadness, pain, and even deep depression where giving up all together seemed reasonable. What I’ve found by working through that, and being desperate enough to put in the work, that I’ve elevated my “default” level of being, or as I like to call it, my idling speed. It’s just unrealistic to think we’ll be blissful 24/7, 365.
“All men’s miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.”
-Blaise Pascal
So I can be just “okay” by having inner-peace, serenity, self-acceptance, emotional connectedness with self, etc.
But this has also allowed me (or more precisely, the result has been) to utilize option #2 – my perspective has changed.
Is my professional job my life calling? Do I wake up and say, “hell yeah! I get to go into work today.” No.
But I do wake up and say, “hell yeah, I’m alive today and, God, show me where I can be of service to others.”
When I first started this journey I was surrounded by a support group of people trying to help. Counselors, friends, family, group members, etc. and having the ability to just look around myself in the moment and remind myself that; right now, in this moment, I’m just Okay, was huge for me. It allowed me to want to live and certainly changed my perspective on what’s important.
For me, getting to a place of just being OK was a huge accomplishment. I guess maybe it’s all semantics, for I don’t feel being “OK” is settling. Am I living my passion in my professional life? Probably not… but then life for me is a passion so I live it every day.
I really think the key, as you said, is doing something (anything) take some action if you’re not happy. It takes work to change our perspective but it can be done. I know, I’ve done it. The key is action, move towards something and not just away from everything.
Jared: Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom here. Your story really is inspiring and I think you really make a good point about not thinking that life is all about the “highs”. There is so much more going on. I think your description of waking up and feeling gratitude is what it is all about. If you can wake up that way and take that feeling with you as you experience the present moment and everything else that comes your way, that is really all you ever need to do. I think that you are right, it probably is more semantics because what you shared is way more than “okay” in my book:) Thanks so much for the comment and dropping by.
What a beautifully simple list of 18! Love your lists, Sibyl. I am going to save this
Thank you!
I love your article ” inspiring” I feel like I’m in the ok zone , wich I call the comfort zone!!! Got great ideas in how to start changing it….thank you !
So glad you liked the article Itzel. Thanks so much for letting me know:) Time to kiss that ok zone goodbye:) LOL
Sibyl, thank you for this article. Today is my 50th birthday, so I awoke and just pondered over my life. I realized that 99 percent of the time I simply settled for ok and ok is all I got, sometimes less. I have made a decision to end that pattern. Your article sealed the deal! I am ready to soar with the eagles and enjoy my life. Thank you!
Happy Birthday Paula:) I am so glad that you are going to soar with the eagles and enjoy life:) That sounds like the perfect 50th b-day gift:) Thanks for the message and for stopping by.