The 9 Rules of the Good Enough Club

10 years ago, I launched The Good Enough Club. And by "launched," I mean I made a t-shirt. 

The tagline was: “Fighting Perfection Since 2016.”

I created it because my students and I needed a constant reminder that we didn’t need to be so hard on ourselves. That our efforts mattered, even when they were small or imperfect. 

2016 feels like a lifetime ago. So much has changed.

But the Good Enough Club still works as a helpful shorthand for me - a reminder to be flexible and kind to myself, accept my changing needs and capacity, and set healthy boundaries. 

Whether it’s about our work, caregiving, or self-care, so many of us set unrealistic standards for ourselves and are exhausted. 

Instead of feeling good about what we do each day - a sense that our efforts matter - we always feel like we should be doing more. 

The sense of never being good enough or doing enough - of always falling short - is demoralizing and exhausting. 

So I thought I’d revisit the original Good Enough Club Rules, which were written to support my students’ imperfect self-care efforts back then, and update them for all of us who need them now.

Good Enough Club Rules

1. We commit to taking care of ourselves, even though we can't do it perfectly.

2. Something is better than nothing (unless doing nothing is your self-care, in which case, keep staring out the window; you're doing great).

3. We pull back a little so we can keep going for the long haul. Operating at 100% effort, 100% of the time only works for machines. We're animals.

4. We choose flexibility and self-compassion over rigidity and perfectionism.

5. We challenge the belief that we should always do more, give more, or be more.

6. We remember we're human beings doing our best in a broken system with limited resources.

7. We allow things to change, including ourselves and our needs.

8. We celebrate and validate each other’s efforts to set boundaries.

9. We offer and accept help. A good club looks out for each other.

I’m sure there’s more I could write, but I’m tired, and I’ve decided this is good enough.

See what I did there? Good Enough Club rules are in effect!

And yes, I still wear the shirt.

In honor of the Good Enough Club turning 10 this year, I’m running a summer sale on The Building Compassionate Badassery Boundaries course.

Because if I’ve learned anything in the last decade, it’s that “enough” is an inside job. We have to define it for ourselves. 

If you’d like to learn how to set limits in a world that’s always asking for more, I hope you’ll join us (and save $50!). 

I know you’ll get something useful out of this course. As one lovely student said: "This course felt like it was made for me! As someone who's been working in animal welfare for the last 20 years, this is the first time I have come across such detailed, curated information on boundaries that is targeted to this industry but broadly applicable to day-to-day life. Guided self-reflection and creating tangible scripts and calendar blocks were monumentally helpful in integrating skills into life and work. Thank you, Jessica!"

Ready to join the club? Click here!

Want to learn more about the course? Click here and use the code GOODENOUGHCLUB to save $50!