When you see the word ‘enough’ what do you think? One of the concerns that people have about the concept of Enough is that is represents mediocrity – settling for average – not striving. I think the reverse is true. Here’s why I think it matters for all of us to re-think our relationship with the very idea of being, doing and having enough.
There are just so many big challenges for all of us at the moment. Let’s start with the most internal one. So many of us struggle with a sense of self-doubt – of believing that secretly we don’t have what it takes to meet the demands and expectations of our lives – be that at work or at home. For many of us this manifests as ‘imposter syndrome’. For others it’s a lack of inner confidence or an overly loud inner critic. As if we can’t BE enough.
Then there is the epidemic of burn out. In every sector, every organisation, every walk of life, there are people who are struggling with the volume, complexity and sense of overwhelming demand on them. Boundaries are a real issue, digital demands are non-stop and the myth that we need to be always available and responsive is as strong as ever. So many of us are just exhausted – burnt out. As if we can’t ever DO enough.
And then there’s climate change – the big global challenge that we can’t seem to fully address. It’s as if we collectively can’t work out how to live within healthy limits – we worry about the future of the planet at the same time as being seemingly addicted to over consumption – as if the very concept of HAVING enough is a problem we can’t solve.
From the inside out – it seems as if the world is out of balance – and that’s where ‘enough’ comes in to play. I believe that the key for us to find happiness and a sustainable way of living is to make friends with, and really start to explore the concept of ENOUGH. To re-claim it as a word that is synonymous with living healthy, flourishing and sustainable lives. To fall in love with healthy limits and to get really practical about how we can find it.
So what is enough? Well, it’s a state where each of us feels that we are at our core already enough. When we believe that we are Enough, we can find freedom and flow that allows us to shine. Enough is a place of fullness. It’s a generative state, full of stretch, growth and ambition to fill our potential – because it has moved us beyond our limiting judgements. Believing that we are enough (by adopting what I call an ‘enough mindset) offers us a way of being that is sourced by self-love and abundance. There is enough. There will be enough. We are enough.
When we come from a place of believing that we are enough, we’re much more likely to set and keep healthy boundaries. We can learn how to live within the natural limits of our lives – prioritising sleep, rest and recuperation as much as striving and hard work. When we do, it sets us free to flourish. We remember that it’s not just nice but essential, to give ourselves time and space to re-charge our batteries and restore our energy. Because at its heart, the idea of ‘enough’ is all about balance. When we allow ourselves to live and work at a sustainable pace, we contribute to making the world a better place for everyone.
Enough connects us to each other and to the planet that we share, and when we’re connected we have more agency to make real changes in our lives, both at a personal level and in our work places and communities.
When we live knowing that we are enough, and that we’re allowed to do and have enough (not too much), it allows us each to stand in the fertile ground, well rooted, and well-resourced so that we can flourish with creativity and brilliance. From our place of Enough, we can grow to be the right size – connecting and contributing to others and our environment so we can do amazing things. We move from the ever hungry, never satisfied state of striving, to a state of fullness, from which we can thrive. Far from being a mediocre, Enough is a springboard to self-belief, health and a sustainability. Put like that, a life lived with enough is not negative – it’s something to aspire to.
