Chase For Upgrades: When Is “Good Enough” Good Enough?

This summer has been filled with more questions than answers for me. About parenting (is it better to cut kids some slack, or to continue with sports practices 5 times a week through the summer?), about work (is the safety net of an internal corporate Exec Coaching position an upgrade or a downgrade from running my own business?), about friendships (sharing what resources leads to an “upgrade” in the quality of friendship?), about education (is formal education always an upgrade of informal knowledge and experience?), about politics (let’s not even go there)…

How do you decide what’s already good enough, and what requires an upgrade? And moreover, how do you decide that something is, in fact, an upgrade?

If you think of it, everything could potentially have an upgrade – your house, your car, your relationships, your job… Everything could potentially be better.

So, should you constantly seek upgrades like job promotions, self-improvement projects, and new models of stuff that you own?

Is chasing upgrades a natural part of life, and a necessary part of our growth?

I’d love to hear what you think.

My take on upgrades is to go with the way you feel.

If you current situation feels good to you, makes you smile from ear to ear, helps you relax, gives you relief, and evokes joy, it’s good enough. Enjoy it.

If, on the other hand, your current situation irritates you, makes you uncomfortable, tense, stressed, anxious, then go for that upgrade! (If you’re not sure how you feel about a situation, email me, I’m really good at helping people figure this out.)

What are your thoughts?

I’d also like to share with you my new offers that are not on the website yet (stay tuned, or reach out to me via email at AlinaIsabelle@gmail.com , please):

– Strategic Planning Session. Decide what you need and want right now, evaluate your options, and chart out a general plan of action. A combination of an energy shift, strategic analysis, support, inspiration, and feeling “clued in”, using traditional and alternative decision-making strategies.

– Work-Life Clarity. A partnership to structure your life as a whole to achieve your most important goals. We’ll figure out what’s not working, determine why you don’t feel at your best even though everything looks ok, and get you moving on a path that feels successful to you.

– Career Upgrade. Align yourself for a promotion that you want, and come out strong from any career transition. Get all the support that you need: we’ll brainstorm, practice, reflect, and create a powerful path for you to follow to your desired career goal.

– Leadership Challenge. You have arrived: a new powerful position, a new role in the organization, a new team to form and to lead. Get support for positioning yourself in the organization, get clear on your new career goals, define success in the new role on your terms, have a safe lab for self-reflection and practice the use of your authority for optimizing results.

– Awareness Consulting. Get additional information about your situation by tapping into the power of perception/sensing. I can help you increase your self-awareness and strengthen your natural power of perception (really, nothing supernatural, just sight, hearing, smell, touch and other), or provide information based on my ability to perceive information.

– Customized workshops for corporations and groups on managing life and career through learning to manage your energy.

My calendar is solidly packed from August 8th for about a month. Although you won’t be able to automatically book time on my calendar during that period, please, email me, and I’ll work on finding the time to make good things happen for you.

And finally, here are some of the interesting things I’ve learned so far this summer:

– Great summary of ways to criticize with kindness, based on the book of Daniel C. Dennett (Courtesy BrainPickings.com)

– Strong article from Stanford: “How Smart Leaders Build Trust”

– Insightful audio from This American Life called “Choosing Wrong”, about why even smart people make bad choices. Great for listening during your commute.

– TED talk on what we can learn from shortcuts (useful if you decide to observe where your kids, friends, and colleagues make shortcuts)

– Research proves that hugging trees and taking walks in the forest/park reduces brooding and physical stress.

– Article from HBR on what great listeners actually do (and it’s not just “not talking”)

– Incredibly relevant research on the positive power of a simple hug

What are some of the most interesting things you’ve learned this summer?