I was recently privileged to a conversation with a group of women about our ever growing mentality of “not enough:”
…There is not enough time in the day, my house is never clean enough, I don’t dress stylish enough, I can’t seem to get on top of things at work, I don’t give enough individual time to my kids, I am not fit enough, I wish I felt like I was a better wife, I will never be able to do enough to have an impact on the deteriorating environment, I am not in tune enough with what is happening in the world…
How is it that we have grown into the not enough clothes and decided that they will be our most comfortable and regularly worn outfit? Who gave us this outfit anyway?As I listened to the discussion unfold, it occurred to me that this “not enough” thinking is an undercurrent of so much of our lives and it is one of the very things that lowers of self worth and takes away from the meaning that comes from being in the present moment.
By feeling or thinking that we are not enough, we set ourselves up to constantly be trying to be “enough.” We always feel less than and spend a lot of our life energy trying to close that gap between where we are (not enough) and enough.
But what if that gap doesn’t really exist? What if you are just enough, just as you are in this very moment?
I know, I said this to the group and I got some pretty “yeah, right” looks. I have certainly felt my share of yeah, right’s also. But, with some conscious attention to how many times a day I hear a “not enough” thought or awareness of when I feel not enough, I am slowly closing that gap. I am beginning to see that yes, maybe it is so: Maybe I am and we all are JUST ENOUGH, just as we are.
Yet is there a place in life for working toward some desired change within oneself while also feeling just enough? Certainly! There is a place for complete and every changing acceptance of ourselves just as we are; and also a place for growing into our fullest potential and learning about ourselves along the way. There is a spectrum: There are things within us that we can change, that we don’t have to accept; things that with some work and adjusting could come more joy, peace, fulfillment and health. Yet our energy around this kind of work has to be balanced out with work on acceptance and cultivating a sense of contentment with all parts of ourselves. So, we can feel just enough, just as we are while also making some adjustments to feel even better about this just enough self.
Happy accepting! It’s a wild ride!
