In a world that challenges us to be, do and have more, I find that I sometimes forget that I am enough. That leads me to question, doubt and into the stuck places I wrote about last week. The power of simply declaring ‘I am enough’ is one way to jump-start myself.
As individuals in a culture of stress, I believe it is wise to reflect on just what embracing our ‘enoughness’ means. We have accomplished much in life. We continue to do so. We’ll likely continue that process. Our accomplishments, our possessions, our good deeds are not what make us enough. There is a peace that comes with knowing deeply that you are enough.
I learned this at a time in my life when I worked in an organization that, in my experience, always demanded more. Sound familiar? I hear frequently from clients in organizations large and small. I hear it from parents, teachers, managers, business owners, community leaders, sometimes even myself, all feeling that we 'should' be able to do more.
I was gifted with the declaration below as I started my journey to knowing that I’m enough.
I AM ENOUGH
I am a human being.
I am only a human being.
I am not superman or superwoman.
I am not perfect.
Perfection is a fantasy only good for producing suffering.
I don’t have to superman or superwoman, no matter what my voices say.
Human beings are finite,
And, so am I.
We can’t know everything, do everything, and don’t have forever.
I am finite,
And, I accept my finitude with dignity and gratitude,
I am grateful to be human.
The voice whispering in my ear ‘you are not enough’ is just a ghost,
An echo of a past moment trapped in my body.
I have made the mistake of listening to the ghost as though it tells the truth.
But it speaks only an old judgmental story,
With no care for me.
But I have grown up.
Have my own voice, My own contentment.
When the echoes speak, I will speak my contentment with my own voice,
And, accept that I am human,
And that is enough.
I have virtues
And, I have vices.
I have competences
And I have incompetences –
Like any other human being.
But I can make offers
I can make requests
I can make promises
I can have ambition
And I can move with others to create,
To create a future
And to live with dignity.
Life is going to do whatever life does
And it doesn’t care
About my assessment of it.
So it is time to have acceptance.
To accept life.
To accept myself.
And to center myself in my commitment
And in my care.
That’s the life of a human being.
Not a superman or superwoman.
I accept myself
I declare satisfaction for being human
I declare
I AM ENOUGH.
Thanks to life. Amen.
©2002, 2004 Robert Dunham. Enterprise Performance.
With deep gratitude to the author Bob Dunham for sharing this at a time years ago when I needed it most. You can discover more about Bob’s leadership work here: http://www.generativeleadership.co/