When is “Enough” Enough?

“To believe yourself brave is to be brave; it is the one only essential thing” – Mark Twain rnLast week I had the good fortune to attend a writing seminar presented by Michelle Prince and John Di Lemme. I’ve been hard at work writing my first book, so I knew I’d get some great tips and tools from the presenters and I wasn’t disappointed. One of the best “food for thought” questions they asked us was “When is ‘enough’ enough?” Much to my surprise this one really made me stop and question my own work and worth, and here’s what I discovered. I’d been suffering a few pangs of the “What if…” syndrome concerning the writing of my book. You know, the “What if they don’t like it? How do I know for sure if people will get everything I want to teach them from the words I’ve put down on the page?” Well, after hearing that simple question, I realized that my old friends, fear and second-guessing were about to eat my lunch. Don’t you just hate it when that happens? No way was I going down that dead end street. Talk about a wake-up Alice moment! I decided to stop and really think about when “enough” is enough, especially in regards to my book. I realized I could keep writing, rewriting, editing, chopping, cutting and heaven knows what else, or I could just stop and realize that it’s more than “enough” for me as it is right now. While I know that Ernest Hemingway rewrote the ending to Farewell to Arms (or at least the very last page) 39 times before he was satisfied enough to send the book to publication, I don’t want to spend the next year of my life caught up in the game of trying to be all things to all people through my book. I just want the reader to enjoy, savor, and learn practical lessons so they can create the success they want and not lose their sanity in the process. After I returned home from the seminar, I turned on my computer, opened up the final draft of my book, and made up my mind right there on the spot to go through it only one more time and make minor changes as needed. I’ve covered all the crucial material, shared my insights and learning, inserted all the “AHA” moments, and conveyed every message I wanted to share with my reader for now. It was done and I pressed the ‘Send’ button. So, to answer that question, when is “enough” enough? When YOU say it is!