"How's it going?"
"I'm good."
We say it a dozen times a day. At work, at home, in the checkout line. Along with two of its cousins - "I know" and "I got this" - it might be the most common thing that comes out of our mouths.
And I get it. There's a lot to be said for confidence. We coach on self-talk and affirmations, and it matters that we're not beating ourselves up all day. But there's maybe even more to be said for humility. And for curiosity over being right.
Here's the thing: those three little phrases can quietly put a lid on your life.
"I know." Do you really?
When "I know" comes out of my mouth, I try to stop and ask myself a few questions. If I know, why do the same patterns keep showing up in my life? If I know, why is one area of my life holding back the others? If I know, why am I not growing to the next level?
Knowing something and living it are two different things. "I know" closes the door on learning before anybody gets a chance to teach us anything.
"I got this." Are we sure?
We live in a world where we can look up almost anything in a few seconds. Ask an app, get an answer, and feel a little smarter than we actually are.
But I think we're losing some of our critical thinking along the way. We're scrolling and streaming, and even when we use technology for good things, we let it do the thinking for us instead of bringing our own thinking to the table on the front end and the back end. I'm not knocking tech. I use it every day. I'm just saying too often it controls us instead of us controlling it.
"I got this" sounds strong. A lot of the time it just means "I'm not open to help."
"I'm good." Are you, for real?
Now, if somebody offers to grab you some food on the way home and you say "No, I'm good," that's fine. I'm talking about the other "I'm good." The one we give when someone actually checks in on us.
Are we being real with ourselves? Are we taking any time one-on-one with ourselves - or with God - to honestly look at where we are? Are we attacking life with humility and hunger? Humility that says, "I don't have this all figured out. I've got a lot to learn." And hunger that says, "I'm going to go learn more today. I'm going to go serve. I'm going to go grow."
Contentment vs complacency
This is where I've had to wrestle. I know not everyone reading this shares my faith, so take this as my own personal testimony.
For a long time I struggled with the idea of contentment. I felt like it got used as an excuse - "I'm supposed to be happy with what I have, so I don't need to grow." I could be wrong on some of this, and I'm open to being challenged on it.
But here's where I've landed. Because I have Jesus, I have enough. At any moment of any day, I have enough. That's contentment.
And because I've been asked to steward the talents God put in me - the people I get to be around, the work, the resources - I'm called to do good things with them. That's the opposite of complacency.
It's not an either-or. It's both. Grateful for what I have, and still growing.
Complacency sounds like "I know. I got this. I'm good." And whether we realize it or not, when we say those things over and over, we're telling ourselves we've hit the ceiling. That's what compounds in our mindset. That becomes the pattern.
Movement isn't the same as growth
Here's the trap I fall into. When we don't have clear priorities or a plan, we drift. And we don't notice we're drifting, because we see movement. We're busy. Things are happening. So we mistake that movement for growth.
Growth requires getting uncomfortable. And it requires accountability.
I'll be honest with you: I like accountability where I want it, and not so much where I don't. We're all a little biased that way. But I need it from my coaches, my wife, my friends, pastors, family and the people I work with. I need it at every turn.
Truth is, I don't know. I don't got this. And I'm not good all the time. My mindset isn't naturally great every morning. I don't control the first thought that pops into my head. But I get to decide what I do with it - how I reframe it, how I train it, and what better stuff I put in so better thoughts show up more often.
Your One More Rep: catch the phrase
Here's your One More Rep for today. Just one.
For the next 24 hours, listen for those three phrases in your own mouth: "I know." "I got this." "I'm good."
Every time you catch one, pause and ask yourself one honest question:
- If I said "I know" - what am I not doing with what I know?
- If I said "I got this" - who could I ask for help or accountability?
- If I said "I'm good" - is that true, or is it just easier?
Then pick one person you trust and give them a real answer the next time they ask how you're doing. That's a rep in humility, and it's harder than it sounds.
Your first calling is to go be the best version of you. Some days that starts with admitting we don't got this. Good news is, we don't have to. God's got this.
You are worth it, and you have what it takes. Let's grow!
