One day, on my way to the river, a broken bucket that always felt like it wasn’t as good as another bucket said to an older woman, “I want you to know that I’ve had water running every morning for the past few years.” With all the hustle and bustle around Valentine’s Day and celebrating another birthday alone last week, while dealing with the reality of finding a new job, I felt like I wasn’t “good enough.” My biggest mistake in self-deprecation was believing that my life should be run like a democracy – where everyone I know and love has a say in everything, where I have to stand up for what’s important to me, and where I find myself left out time and time again. Hi Mark and Angel! Thanks for this short story. And a great lesson! I wouldn’t want life to be such a struggle. Life is beautiful! It all depends on how we perceive it. Feeling good enough in life, at work, in business and in our relationships has to do with how we personally view the cracks in our own bucket. I loved your story, our cracks are a part of us! When I worked for a holistic recreation company, we had a meeting every morning called “Personalities.” I found that the key was to accept the fact that I didn’t need the approval of others to live my life the way I wanted to. Sometimes the pressure from peers, family, work and society in general is enough to make us feel that we are not “good enough.” At a certain age or time, if we don’t have the “right” job, the “right” relationship, the “right” home, etc., we feel inferior. Professionally I am doing well, I graduated last year, but I feel like I am stuck and that my classmates are ahead of me because they are doing something better or have a more productive job than me. It’s always around, and I read it out loud when I feel like I’m not good enough, which is often. Thank you for this inspiring and soul-soothing article, because I too often have this experience that seems to overwhelm me, I find myself lost in daydreams and regrets – and I often feel sorry for myself. At work, I feel “not good enough.” Do I have to work forever at a job I hate, just in case I have a health crisis? I’m sorry, but that’s not how I want to spend the rest of my time, and I’ll deal with whatever happens when it happens. Right now, I’m studying hard, and I’m almost there. Every day I help stroke patients rebuild a good life with my rehab skills, and I also give out random gifts every day.