Define Your Enough
In a world with no ceiling, the only protection is knowing what enough looks like for you.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 87%
Harrison names capitalism as a driving force of Old Happy precisely because it never supplies a ceiling: intense competition and endless market entrants mean there's always something more you need to do, and the hamster wheel offers no support when you hit setbacks. Her counter is deceptively simple and almost nobody does it — take the time to work out what good looks like for you. For a business that means asking what your goal for the company is this year, what your objective is, what enough would look like, what great would look like, and how you balance those against the other things that matter. The second half is decoupling worth from the number: hit the goal and you're worthy, miss it and you're still worthy. Once worth is unhooked, the urgency to always push for more gets quieter and easier to disconnect from.
Origin
Harrison witnessed the ceiling problem in her own entrepreneurial journey — feeling she just needed to work a little harder or push a little more to get the success that would finally make her happy — and connects it to the mental health statistics for entrepreneurs.
Core principles
- 01Capitalism offers no ceiling on what counts as enough — you must set it yourself.
- 02Defining enough is a safeguard for well-being, not a lack of ambition.
- 03Enough and great are different numbers; name both.
- 04Business objectives must be balanced against the other things that matter to you.
- 05Worth is not determined by whether you hit the number.
How to run it
- 1
Notice there is no ceiling
Recognise that in a competitive market there is always more to do, and the system will never tell you when you've done enough. The absence of a finish line is structural, not personal.
Watch out Capitalism puts you on the hamster wheel without offering broader solutions to support you through setbacks or difficult times.
- 2
Write your goal and objective for the year
State plainly what your goal for the company is this year and what your objective is. Most people skip this and inherit a number from comparison instead.
- 3
Define enough and great separately
Ask what enough would look like and what great would look like. Finding your own version of enough is what protects and safeguards your well-being.
Pro tip Two numbers, not one — enough protects you, great motivates you.
- 4
Balance against everything else that matters
Work out how the business objectives sit alongside the other things that matter to you. The question is not just whether it's achievable but whether it's sustainable and good for all of us.
- 5
Unhook worth from the number
Let go of the idea that your worth is determined by how successful you are at reaching the goal. Once removed, the urgency to always push for more becomes quieter and easier to disconnect from.
In the wild
Harrison describes her own pattern: feeling she just needed to work a little bit harder or push a little bit more, and then she'd experience the success she wanted, because that would make her happy.
→ She names it as the capitalist hamster wheel — no ceiling on enough, no support through setbacks, and a measurable toll on entrepreneurs' mental health.
Common mistakes
Never actually defining it
Harrison's point is that it sounds really simple, yet almost nobody takes the time to think about what good looks like for them — which is why the culture's number fills the vacuum.
Defining enough while worth is still attached to it
A number you must hit to be worthy is not a ceiling, it's a threat. The definition only protects you once self-worth is decoupled from the result.
Is it for you?
Best for
Founders and entrepreneurs setting annual goals who want ambition without the hamster wheel.
Not ideal for
Businesses in genuine survival mode where the number is set by the runway, not by choice.
From the transcript
“In a world that tells you that you always need more and more and more no matter what you do, it's never enough — finding…”
“If you're an entrepreneur, what's your goal for your company this year? What is your objective? What would enough look like? What would great look…”
“Great, I hit my goal and I'm worthy, or great, I didn't hit my goal and I'm still worthy no matter what I do.”
“This pressure, this hamster wheel that capitalism puts us on without offering broader solutions that support people as they go through difficult times or setbacks,…”
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