Permission to Suck

Permission to Suck

We all know that perfect is the enemy of good.  In so many parts of our lives, good is good enough.  This can be hard to remember when your stuck on the achievement treadmill like me.  There is often an attempt to double down instead of loosening the reigns a little bit.  For the sake of sanity, I have decided a different tactic.  In certain parts of my life, I am going to try to give myself permission to suck.

A strange concept for sure.  But sometimes the need to do well gets in the way of the joy of completing a task.  Sometimes we talk ourself into such circles that we are bound to fail in the first place.  While failing in itself is not necessarily a bad thing, there are certainly good and bad ways to do this.  You never want to fail because you didn’t give yourself an adequate chance.

With that in mind, there are a few things that I have decided to give myself a pass on.

Back Door Roth IRA

I have multiple IRAs and while the majority have pre tax money in them, some have post tax.  I have been hemming and hawing for years about rolling everything (except the post tax allotment) into my 401K and then starting the Roth conversion process.

Then, not only would my post tax money grow freely, I could continue doing yearly back door conversions.  While this is technically the right thing to do, I have developed a mental block.  Although not an overwhelming amount of work, it will probably take a few hours of thought and likely weeks of dealing with Vanguard, my accountant, and my 401K administrator to get the process done correctly.

I know how to do it,  but have not had the emotional energy to attack this chore yet.  in this case, I am giving myself permission to suck.  Will I get to it someday?  Hopefully.  Will it kill my financial future if I never complete the process?  Definitely not.

Creating Content

I have always had high standards for my blog.  I expect to write daily, and have a brisk publishing schedule.  I take pride in the ability to write something worth reading most days of the week.  Unfortunately, I do pay attention to stats and am attuned to how my writing is received.

With my podcast,  however, I am giving myself permission to suck.  When you get a panel of three or four people together you let go of some of the control.  Whether the magic will happen or not is mostly out of my hands.

Furthermore, I am new to this venture and unlikely to be good right off the bat.  Often it takes months if not years for podcasters to find their rhythm, and there is no reason I shouldn’t be just like them.

Retirement

I am giving myself permission to suck at retirement.  In fact, I call my version a half retirement, but I still have the equivalent of a full-time job.  I have had to let go of dreams of leaving the work force completely or being one of those glamorous FIRE bloggers who travels the world.

I don’t have the emotional nor intellectual fortitude to leave work.  I enjoy the challenge and social relationships that my employment provides.  I just don’t see myself ever quitting.

Permission Not Given

There are, however, a number of  categories I don’t give myself permission to suck at.  I will always strive to be the best person, husband, father, family member, and friend that I can be.   I will always look at my job with reverence and perform each professional task to the utmost of my ability.

There are certain things that can’t be compromised.

Final Thoughts

As my life changes, I am trying to give myself permission to step off the achievement treadmill and sometimes be mediocre.  I am giving myself permission to suck.

Not with everything.

But with those things that my success or failure truly don’t matter.  Stressing about being good enough can only take away in these cases.

It can never add!