Enough. I hate this word.
It's one thing to say, "I'm full. I've had enough food," but quite another thing to say or think, "I'm not good enough."
When it comes to you and what you think about you, what does enough really mean? Why are you even using this word in the same sentence when it comes to anything about you?
What are we doing with all those memes on Facebook and Twitter reminding you that you are good enough, more than enough, or just enough?
What's going on here? What have you forgotten about yourself?
What measurement are you weighing yourself by?
Is it the expectations and opinions of others? Or is it your whack-a-doodle inner critic whose only job is to tell you how much you suck?
Why the firetruck are you measuring yourself with an intangible word that keeps you feeling less than and worse off and smaller than?
When the firetruck do you actually know you are enough? Who tells you? The expectations and opinions of others or that miserable shrill of an inner critic? Let's face it. No one is going to tell you when you are enough. You've got to decide that for yourself.
Let's get clinical and objective about this paralyzing word for a second.
"adequate for the want or need...sufficient for the purpose of to satisfy the desire."
Don't you just love those words adequate and sufficient? So warm and fuzzy. I think I'll go hug a skunk now.
A butter knife is adequate or enough to screw in a straight edge screw...but you know, a flat head screwdriver would be better. In this case, a fork or a spoon wouldn't be "good enough."
Enough is a Pronoun
"an adequate quantity or number...sufficiency.
I have 10 people coming over for dinner and 9 ears of corn. If I break one in half, I'll have enough corn for family dinner.
Are you an adequate quantity?
There is one of me and one of you. There is enough me and enough you.
Wow. Don't you just feel like the cat's meow now?
"in a quantity or degree that answers a purpose or satisfies a need or desire sufficiently...as in - Are you ready enough?
In this case, your sniveling inner critic takes over and beats you to death with the perfectionist stick. "Oh hell no," shouts your annoying Inner Critic. "You're not even close to being ready enough to share your gifts with the world. Who cares if you're the only one who does what you do, you'll never be ready enough.
So you sit at home watching reruns of Friends or Hogan's Heroes because you bought the lie that you're not good enough. Oh. My. God. No more Hogan's Heroes for me!
Enough is an Interjection
Enough! I've had enough of enough.
I'm so tired of how this stupid word has been corrupted.
When you use it against yourself, enough becomes a scarcity word that denotes lacking. It totally mucks with your self-worth and self-esteem. It's a word that's used to engage your self-doubt and cloud your own judgement about who and what you truly are and the gifts only you can bring to this world.
Enough is a word that keeps you striving and driving for something that may never be attainable because enough is a comparison word. No matter what you achieve or attain, it will never be enough because your inner critic will remind you that Little Bunny Foo-Foo has a better story or has more Facebook fans than you do or has gobs more Twitter followers than you do.
The problem with Good Enough is that you believe you'll never be Good Enough.
I've had enough of enough. What about you?
***
Peggy Nolan is an International Best Selling Author, Yoga Teacher, and 2nd Degree Black Belt. She lives in Derry, NH with her husband, Richard.
If you liked this article, you can download Peggy's FREE eBook, "30 Ways to Boost Your Positivity" today!
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