Good Enough No Longer Is

While waiting for the Bangkok rain to lift and eating a bowl of pork congee, I reflected on a recent writing block. Every GenAI co-written draft was flagged as 100% AI-generated. And, my usual tricks of rewriting sections, weaving in personal stories, and adjusting cadence failed. For the first time, I couldn’t get past the wall.

That’s the moment when reality taps you on the shoulder: good enough no longer is.

Why This Matters

This wasn’t just a writing problem. The collateral I’m producing underpins inbound marketing and outbound sales. It shapes how buyers see us, whether they trust us, and how they decide if we’re worth their time. Settling for “good enough” would mean sliding into the gray blur of generic AI content.

And that’s a slow way to lose.

Lessons From the Past

This isn’t new in my life. Years ago, I tried to rely on discipline to push through challenges. But discipline fades. As I once wrote in Discipline down, Environment up, it was changing environments, not sheer willpower, that shifted my behavior for the long term.

Burnout taught me the same. I tried to outwork the problem, doubling down on hours and effort. It worked, until it broke me. Only when I rebuilt my life systems with rest, automation, and delegation did progress become sustainable.

Even in small ways, the pattern shows itself. I once blocked Netflix at the system level so I could finally get decent sleep. Willpower wasn’t enough. The environment was.

Moving Beyond Good Enough

So what do we do when good enough stops being enough?

1. Notice the signals. Frustration, stuckness, and repeating failure are not signs of weakness; they’re signals that the rules have changed.
2. Re-engineer your environment. Don’t grind harder in the same rut. Change the setup to make better outcomes easier.
3. Raise your standard. If your work feels like a “seven,” don’t publish it. Either accept it’s a six and let it go, or push until it’s an eight. Stop living in the middle.
4. Use tools with intention. AI, automation, and frameworks should extend your craft, not replace it. Blind dependence is just another version of mediocrity.
5. Return to purpose. Ask yourself why this matters. For me, writing collateral isn’t about the words; it’s about earning trust.

Closing Thought

Good enough always expires. It holds just long enough until the bar rises, the context shifts, or expectations change. The question is never if, it’s when.

When you hit that wall, don’t call it failure. Call it a signpost. It means the old way carried you as far as it could. Now it’s time to grow.

And maybe the next bowl of congee will taste better knowing you didn’t settle.