I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It People Like Me . . . But

Trips to the dentist have not been the most pleasant things in my life. Sure, no one likes to go to the dentist. But dentists have not been very kind to the my mouth. I have not always been kind to my mouth, either. But even during periods of good dental hygiene, dentists still have negative things to say about my teeth. I am by no means one of those people who can just brush their teeth whenever they think about it and have no cavities. Must be genetic or something.

So when I got up to leave the dentist yesterday and did not hear one negative word or one warning about what I need to do, I was absolutely shocked. That was the first time I have ever been to the dentist and heard, "It all looks good." I kept waiting on what they would say next. They probably looked at me, thinking, when is this fool going to get up and leave??

It hit me on my drive away from the dentist that this mindset, of always expecting negative words after positive ones, is a condition we live by. We give it and we receive it.

"You did a great job on this work project . . . I just wish you would have . . . "
"You get an A on this research paper . . . it would have been an A-plus if you had . . . "
"I'm so glad you came to see me . . . I wish you would come more often."

How much do we do this with others? With our friends? With our enemies? With our children?

With ourselves? How much do we expect others to do this to us?

It would do us all well to remember the words of the Saturday Night Live self-help guru, Stuart Smalley. On each episode of sorts, he would look in the mirror and say, "I'm good enough. I'm smart enough. And doggone it, people like me." There was no ". . . but I could do better at" or ". . . people would like me more if . . ."

Because even Michael Jordan needed to look in the mirror and give it an I'm good enough . . .