Enough
This week I've been talking about how we use this one word to mean different things in our lives. Writing these daily posts has forced me to really assess where I am personally on these definitions:
Doubt - "When is enough enough?"
Satiation - "I've had enough."
Frustration - "Enough is enough."
Confidence - "I am enough."
When I think through these different perspectives on "enough," I land on the need to know deeply what I want in my life, what fills me up, what drains me, where I want to spend my time. Through the first year of being self-employed...being the CEO of me...I've had to reconcile these ideas. I regularly ask myself -
How many coaching or consulting clients is enough for what I want financially but also for the flexibility I want in my life so that I can spend the last 2-3 years fully with my kids as they finish high school?
Do I have enough of this type of work that fills me up?
Do I really want to spend my time on this type of work that is more draining than rewarding?
Why is he/she getting more traction on their work? What am I doing wrong? Am I showing up as the right version of me?
I've been on this journey a long time, but the past year in particular has been a time to find where I want to focus my time, energy, and capabilities. Unfortunately, I can't say that I have it all figured out yet, but the picture is getting a bit clearer as I work on different projects and assess opportunities that come my way.
I think the last perception of "enough" is the one that is likely foundational for all of them. Clarity on what we're here for, what we offer the world, and then believing that, even though we worry that others won't value it enough, it is enough because it's what is right for us as individuals. In my workshop on Limiting Beliefs, one of the exercises I ask people to do is to write 10 "I am..." statements. These statements outline two sides of us - the actual and the aspirational. I ask the participants to write what they are exceptionally good at (I am a creative baker, I am an effective problem solver, I am a dedicated teacher, etc.) and those statements that outline who they're trying to be...even if they're not there yet (I am a successful entrepreneur; I am a published author; I am a college graduate, etc.). I push people to come up with all 10. The second activity of including things that you haven't quite gotten to yet is important because there is power in saying them out loud as if they have already happened...we start believing that they are true which keeps us motivated to get there. When the list is finished, and people reflect on what they wrote and pretend that it's the list about someone else, they realize what an amazing person they are today.
We need to spend the time recognizing how amazing we already are and believe that we will become the person we're on the journey to be. We need to have the foundational belief that we are enough. I encourage you to take the time and do the exercise. Who are you? Who are you becoming?
I am enough. You are enough. We are enough.