Being ‘enough’ is harder than it sounds

Oh! We really don't talk about this enough!

We love to throw around the phrase, “You’re enough.” It’s meant to be a balm for all the self-doubt, all the comparisons, all the times we look at ourselves and think, “I should be more.”

And it’s a nice idea, isn’t it? That you’re enough, just as you are.

Except, what does that even mean?

Enough for what? Enough for who? Because if I’m being honest, “enough” doesn’t always feel… well, enough.

There’s this pressure, a relentless voice in the back of my mind, that tells me I need to be more:

• More productive.

• More resilient.

• More social.

• More everything.

It’s like no matter how much I do, it’s never quite enough. And the idea that I’m supposed to just be enough as I am? That feels harder than bending over backward trying to prove my worth.

Because being “enough” requires something terrifying:

It requires me to stop measuring myself against impossible standards.

It requires me to believe I’m OK, even when I don’t feel accomplished, likable, or capable.

It requires me to sit with myself, flaws, failures, and not immediately try to fix, improve, or apologize for who I am.

And that’s uncomfortable.

It’s so much easier to chase the next goal, to hustle for approval, to keep pushing myself beyond my limits in the hopes that one day, I’ll feel like I’ve finally earned the title of “enough.”

But, I’m still learning:
You don’t earn “enough.”
You already are. Not because you’ve checked all the boxes, but because your worth doesn’t come from how much you do or how perfect you are.

Being “enough” doesn’t mean you have to be great at everything or that you’re never allowed to struggle. Or that you won’t try to be “better”. It means you’re worthy, even on your messiest days. Even when you feel like you’ve fallen short.

But believing that?
Letting yourself rest in the idea that who you are right now is enough?

That’s a different kind of hard work. The kind where you stop chasing perfection.

I understand it theoretically, but I haven’t gotten there yet rationally or emotionally. So I don’t have a hack, tip, or epiphany (This is not that kind of a newsletter!).

It is a struggle to get there, especially when we’ve been taught something different for generations. It takes time. It feels awkward and unnatural. And it comes and goes (even if you think you’re finally there!).

I’ll say it anyway though (because I want to end this on a more hopeful note). You are enough. Even when it doesn’t feel like it. Even when it’s hard to believe. And even if the only thing you’ve done today is show up.

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That’s enough now,
Shruti.