I have been reading a great book by @sheridanstewart called ‘I Am Enough’ and it really struck a chord, probably due to the perfect timing with which it came into my hands. 

Do you find that happens with books? The right book with the exact message you need to hear seems to leap off the book shelf or strangely pops up on your social media feed. So often I go into a bookstore chasing a specific book only to walk out with something completely different because it caught my attention. I have learnt to heed these nudgings as they seem to by my intuition guiding me to exactly what I need. 

Anyway, I digress. 

The book got me thinking about how much the drivers of your daily activities are linked back to feelings of ‘not enough’. This might show up predominantly in one area of your life such as your body image or your status or your business or career. Or maybe it shows up across the board, seeping into every aspect of your life like a ghostly apparition. Sneakily causing you to act in ways that confirm your unconsciously held inner belief that you are not enough. 

For example, constantly dieting to lose enough weight so you can not feel ashamed of your body, with rules that are so restrictive that you are bound to fail. Thereby confirming your belief that you will never be thin enough.

Or working excessively long hours to prove that you deserve the promotion that you received on merit, but your belief that your skills are not enough does not allow you the self-acknowledgment that you are more that worthy of holding the senior position. 

Or regularly working 12 hour days on your solopreneur business because you believe your success is dependent on doing more than others because they are better/more skilled/more liked/or even luckier than you

Or it might show up as overspending on online purchases that you neither need nor even want, to distract from feeling not enough. 

The bad news is that you will never feel you are good enough no matter how thin you are, how fair up the corporate ladder you rise or how successful your business is, if you don’t connect with an inner sense of ‘I am enough’. 

You need to flip the process. It is not by doing more, achieving more or succeeding more that you will feel you are enough. It is by feeling you are enough that you will achieve more. Not only that but you will have more fun and gratitude on your way to success. 

Imagine if you loved or at least accepted your body as it is, lumps and all. You would treat it kindly. You would do things that make it feel good and you will naturally gravitate towards giving it rest, more healthy food and moving it. 

If you are overworking on your business in an attempt to feel you are doing enough, eventually you will burnout and/or your service quality will be impacted.  This can impact your relationships and ability to communicate effectively with loved ones. Maybe you even  feel a little bitter that YOU have to do it all. 

So what if you chose to believe you are doing enough right now? What if you gave yourself permission to step away from work for the whole weekend? What if you handed over some of the work to someone else? What if you stopped? Gasp! 

I can almost guarantee you that you won’t go backwards in the business. I can almost guarantee you that you will have a more fun with your loved ones and even feel refreshed and invigorated with new ideas for your business. 

I invite you to trust that you are enough. That doesn’t mean you don’t want to improve or grow in your profession, rather it reminds you that right now, in the moment you are enough. It reminds you that consistent efforts done with intention and in alignment with your personal style and individual goals are enough. 

Flip your perspective. It is not by doing more, achieving more, or succeeding more that you will feel you are enough. It is by feeling you are enough that you will achieve more. Not only will you achieve more but you will enjoy the process of achieving it.