Three simple little words. A simple phrase. It should elicit a positive response, wouldn’t you think?
I am struggling through a (lovely) Oprah-Deepak 21 day meditation right now. I’ve been aiming for years to develop a meditation habit but it hasn’t ‘stuck’. I know that meditating is a wonderful, grounding practice and I do love to practice discipline but this one seems to be a eluding me.
I’ve been semi-consistent – 6 days out of 9! I think that’s pretty good, as I was traveling for a couple of those days, then entertaining friends for a few more! I’m feeling proud of the 4 successes. However, this morning as I settled with earbuds in, the first words out of Oprah’s mouth were “You are Enough”. For some reason I felt a swelling of emotion, not positive and a little hard to describe - almost a mini gut punch. I believe what I felt was that someone was telling me that I was enough, and my sub-conscious was responding with “I’m really NOT enough”.
I probably come across as a fairly confident person with a pretty great life. I absolutely have a great life, and I regularly push out of my comfort zone and try new things (like this blog and my website). I have overcome many obstacles and on most levels I feel like I am ok. But there seems to be a deeper non-aligned belief? I believe that in today’s society, there are more people than we’d like to think, that feel ‘not enough’.
I’d like to share some thoughts on this; I'm hoping that mulling the 5 points below will take you a little closer to believing that you are enough just the way you are!
5 Beliefs that Foster “Enough-ness”
1. Every one of us is OK just the way we are. God, or the universe or nature made us to be exactly this size, colour and shape. You don’t need to be prettier, younger looking, thinner, more organized, or more anything. You are perfect as is.
2. Starting your day scrolling through social media is not going to help your self-image. What people share is rarely real—it’s a sanitized version of their life. Start your day with some affirmations instead - what a super way to build yourself up and kick off your day!
3. Achieving new goals is awesome. But it will not change who you are. You are perfectly enough just as you are today. It's great to improve and grow, but don't get caught up in the thought "when I do xyz my life will be better, or I'll be a better person". Nope - still the same awesome person.
4. It’s OK to ask for help, be weak at times, and lose your shit once in a while. That just makes you real – not bad or less than, you are a normal person, flaws and all.
5. If someone in your life is trying to convince you that your are not enough, perhaps it's just their way of building their own self-belief. Don't let others get into your head!
Still not convinced? Check out this great article here for more validation that we are all, in fact, enough!