I'm Enough

“When you let go of trying to get more of what you don’t really need, which is what we’re all trying to get more of, it frees up immense energy to make a difference with what you have”  (Lynne Twist) 

For an ambitious, determined, and constantly "in search" person like me, these words by Lynne Twist have been pretty revolutionary. But the most wonderful thing happening that I’m noticing, is that the moment I embraced believing in the truth of these words and applying them to my life, I got extraordinary results in terms of peace, quality of life, contentment and happiness.

What it made me understand is that continuing to raise the bar of my desires and my needs was the recipe for physical and mental exhaustion, and it was becoming an addiction, similar to that of any drug.

I suddenly realised that the more results and things I accumulated, the deeper was my sense of missing out, because instead of increasing my satisfaction and contentment, these successes instead became lighter and quicker to dissolve.

So I started to analyse the ‘why’ behind these desires and needs and I found only fears: fear of not being seen and appreciated, fear of not being worth enough, fear of falling behind the people around me, fear of disappointing someone, fear of not living up to the expectations of someone else...

How many people, like me, are losing sight of the pleasure of what they are experiencing because they are constantly pulling forward, towards new goals, new experiences, new achievements with the anxiety that ‘those who slow down lose’ and ‘if I don’t perform I’m invisible’?

There is a beautiful word I recently learned to use and appreciate. This word is the word "enough." I have enough of everything I need to have a wonderful life. I have enough physical, economic and emotional resources to face anything. I have enough courage and resourcefulness to face any surprise. I have enough curiosity and creativity to know that I will never stop where I am. I have enough time to experience what has really got value to me (and when I seem not to have it, I fine-tune things to create it). But above all, I am Enough.

I do not need any other external awards, new badges to pin on my chest, public acknowledgement of my ability and intelligence, judgments and opinions that reinforce my confidence.

I can stop rushing to do more to show up more. I’m enough and in feeling whole and satisfied without the old eagerness to perform to be seen I have regained the ability to really enhance my strongest talents, with simplicity, generosity and a deep, overwhelming, exciting sense of pleasure.

(Pic courtesy Ionea for Flickr)