PEBBLE
Enough is a feast.
-Buddhist Proverb, shared by Holly in Phoenix, AZ
BOULDER</h4
I am enough.
Even when I don’t feel like it.
Even when I don’t believe it.
Even when I make mistakes.
I am enough.
Even when I don’t have all the answers figured out.
Even when my dreams are more ambitious than my current capacity.
Even when others don’t seem to respect me or care about me or love me.
When necessary:
I can do hard things,
I can ask for help, and
I can learn to love myself and care for myself.
I can do these things, because:
I am enough.
I can also receive love and encouragement from others, and
I can show love and encouragement to others, because
I am enough.
I can let my light shine into the world, even when it seems dim.
I can summon the courage to go on another day.
I can embrace my enoughness, and encourage others to embrace theirs.
I can do all this, because:
I. Am. Enough.
-Rob MacCuspie, written and shared by Rob in Asheville, NC
PONDER
The author of today’s Boulder is a long time Rippler and an active member of Paul’s UROCK Peeps Rob and I exchanged a few messages after our November Zoom peptalk, Hope for the Holidays, where we explored the importance of sipping from a mug of “Enough Nog:” I am enough; today is enough; my effort is enough; my current mood is enough; etc. He took the idea and ran with it, and I was significantly impacted by his expanded list of enoughness reminders. I found myself reading it over and over. And over.
It took me a few weeks before I figured out why I was so drawn to it. Even though I’m a reasonably confident human and generally have a positive view of myself and the contributions I make to the world, there’s a racket that almost constantly runs just below the surface: a low level hum of, “Paul, you’re really good…in fact you are *almost* amazing….but since there are obviously ways you could improve, and because we don’t want you to get too big for your britches, it’s better if you recognize that you’re *almost* good enough. But not quite.”
It’s a tape that I’m pretty sure has been playing in my head for most of my life. I remember back in 1994-ish a therapist asking me, “Why do you think you push yourself so hard?” I instantly replied, “I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t worked this hard.” She smiled and added, “Yup, I get that. But what if sometimes you’re spinning your wheels… what if you are where you are today *despite* how hard you’ve worked?”
It’s been almost 30 years since that conversation, and while I think I’m in a different place than I was, it’s clear that I could use an extra helping of enough nog every once in a while. Who else wants to sample from the buffet of enoughness? I hear it’s a feast!
Peace,
Paul
P.S. Several of Paul’s UROCK Peeps are working on a plan to experiment with using structured goal setting to deepen their work/life effectiveness. We’d love to have a few more people join us, especially those seeking ongoing personal and professional development in measurable doses. Let me know if you’d like more info: