Jul

I’m Not Good Enough…

…to make an ice cream cake for my son’s birthday party!

These were my initial thoughts. Then, my Hubby and I wondered, could we make ice cream cupcakes instead? So we found a fabulous recipe for Brownie Bottom Ice Cream Cupcakes and worked together. Hard. You’ll find out how it turns out at the end of this post…

First, let me ask you. Have you ever seen someone and thought, “She’s so nurturing to her children, what a wonderful mom! She cooks and bakes so well!”

If you saw someone with a quality, talent or ability that you would like to have, do you tend to think:

“That’s cool! If they can do it, so can I.” (Not to minimize their abilities…)

“They do it so well, I can never do that!”

Lots of people seem to think they’re not good enough. They may not come right out and say it, but it plagues so many people! Even those who are more than good enough, they sometimes think they’re not. Why?

I used to be plagued with thinking I’m not good enough. Once in a while it still crosses my mind. Hence the need to make things “perfect”. Rationally I learned it was silly to try to make things perfect, because as you and I both know, it’s just not possible!

It doesn’t have to be perfect. Good is good enough! (Good is good enough for God…)

Here’s a fresh example. On Sunday, we threw our son a huge birthday party at Pump It Up. Close to 50 guests came (kids + adults). Hubby and I did our very best to follow the recipe. We made 48 ice cream cupcakes for the first time!

They didn’t turn out so good. Maybe our freezer wasn’t strong enough, or we just didn’t give it enough time. By the time the cupcakes were served, instead of mint chocolate chip ice cream cupcakes, they had become mint chocolate chip milkshakes over brownie. Plus, the brownie was stuck to the wrapper and the guests were struggling to pull it off.

Needless to say, I was really embarrassed…what a big faux pas!

Thankfully, our guests are gracious people and they didn’t seem to mind the inedible cake too much. They even ate the parts they could eat and told me they liked those parts.

Never mind the faux pas. Our wonderful guests said they had a great time bouncing around and talking with each other! All the kids were excited with big smiles and laughter on their faces. This is what matters the most! And what we wanted in the first place!

So the moral of this story is…

It doesn’t have to be perfect. Good is good enough!

We learned another good lesson: Don’t attempt to make that many ice cream cupcakes on the first try.

Have you ever thought you weren’t good enough? What has helped you to realize that’s really not true?

Share and Enjoy:

Tags: mindset, Mindset Monday

Posted by jinnialow Mindset Subscribe to RSS feed

http://loveablehomebody.blogspot.com Ashley

Jinnia, great observation. Poor self-esteem seems to plague so many people — myself included. It's a shame that we let our insecurities scare us out of trying things or doing what we love. Obviously actually doing it isn't enough to change our mentality, but I think it's a start.

Your party sounds amazing! Happy Birthday to your son! Also, I like milkshakes
casey

oh boy, I couldn't even count the amount of times that I have believed the lie in my head that I am not good enough and I think everyone can relate to some degree or another. There will always be people out there that I can compare myself to and thus make myself feel bad but, I just have to remember that meanwhile other people are comparing themselves to me and feeling the same way even if I may not realize that. On a daily basis I tend to say, “Gotta keep my eyes on Jesus, we're gonna have a good time.” Every time I get my focus back on Jesus and off of the amazing photographers that I compare myself to, or the interior decorators that “put me to shame,” Jesus reminds me that I am beautiful, talented, and loved just the way that I am. I think it has helped me to learn what my gifts are and to embrace them. One of them is encouraging people but, I've had to learn that this gift doesn't reveal itself as a talent that can be viewed by others..but, it brings glory to God. You are encouraging people through your blog on a daily basis just by being you, you write so well (as I said before:), your children adore you it's clear and those things are priceless! Thanks for reminding me today to keep my focus on Jesus!!
http://jinnialow.com Jinnia

Ashley, you're sweet to say you like milkshakes, thank you for your Birthday wishes! It's too bad when our insecurities get the better of us and you're right, just changing our behavior doesn't necessarily change our mentality. It's tricky to get to the root of that mentality to uncover what's hiding back there. I've learned it's mostly our thinking that's been programmed negatively.
http://jinnialow.com Jinnia

Casey, thanks so much for relating with me, and for speaking encouragement. It means so much to me. Whenever I decide to share an insecurity or weakness, I'm not sure how it'll be received but I do it anyway sometimes, by faith. Your comment lifted my spirits, so thank you. And you're right, Jesus says we're beautiful, talented and loved just as we are. I love fellow sisters in Christ with whom I can share the depth of our faith.
Garner

Hi Jinnia,
Great post- Gabby really enjoyed the party and the cupcake and mostly important of all spending time with your family.
TVs Take

Great post Jinnia! Ahhh – self worth, I do wish you could buy it in a store but instead it has to be an internal quality. For me, as long as I know I'm doing my best (which i need to remind myself to do) then I know it's good enough. A philosophy that allows me to accept the world that we live in is that “we are all doing our best with what we know”. The more we know/experience the better we do. Really, a great post!
Mamaslittlechick

Jinnia this is such a great post! I think we all think this way at times! We doubt our abilities and we place expectations on ourselves that become stressful and are unnecessary. I bet the cupcakes were fine! This is one of the funny family stories that no one ever forgets. He,he,he!

Mama Hen
http://jinnialow.com Jinnia

Thank you, Garner. I really appreciate it – and glad she enjoyed the party!
http://jinnialow.com Jinnia

Tesha, that's a helpful philosophy. I like the bigger picture that “we're all doing our best with what we know”. That's a great internal quality to have and grow – to remind us it's good enough. I think a big trap is comparing ourselves to others. Ah, if only we could package self-worth in a bottle and market it, we'd do well, lol.
http://jinnialow.com Jinnia

Thank you, Mama Hen! Thanks for your encouraging words! I really appreciate it.
http://twitter.com/projectfeelgood Laura Elliott

Hi Jinnia, popping over from #31DBBB. Love this post! It's great how you have shared such a valuable life lesson by telling a funny family story that I am sure most people can relate to. In recent months I've started to let go of being perfect and adopt the “Good enough is good enough” approach. I've been amazed at how much my stress levels have reduced and also how much more productive I am. It's amazing what you can achieve when you let go of the quest for perfectionism!
http://jinnialow.com Jinnia

Laura, so glad you stopped by! How wonderful that you've let go of the quest for perfectionism in recent months – as you said, it's amazing what happens as a result! Thanks for your kind comment and follow. I'm looking forward to getting to know you!