I am enough, and you are too

There is a small, subtle, cut-out quote inconspicuously taped to the glass outside my office. I walk by it every day, multiple times. Since seeing it the first time, I now notice it more readily. It is my own little reminder. It even sticks with me outside of the office as it has become burned into my thoughts, allowing me to reflect on it readily.

The little tattered quote reads, “All you are, right now, in this moment, is enough.”

My noticing it, reading it, and allowing it to penetrate my conscious thoughts has empowered me. It seems to have even seeped into my subconscious. I mean, I know it is true. My degrees and several years in social work and mental health fields had me telling others this type of message all the time. Most of my life I have known it for myself and felt its truth.

However, there was a time that something happened. There was a flood of self-doubt, a time when nothing felt right. I became unsure of myself, my thoughts, my choices. This perpetuated more uncertainty, creating a spiral of negative thinking, self-judgement, and toxic relationships. It put me in a place where I just felt I was lucky to be alive and have any sort of interaction with anyone—regardless of whether it added more confirmation to the poor self-image I had.

What is it that causes us to feel inadequate? That nothing we do is good enough? Certainly, hearing it from another keeps it fresh and substantiates the feeling. However, what keeps us in that stifling environment? More importantly, how do we remove ourselves from the clutches of negativity to experience the freedom of self-empowerment?

We all face occasions where we question ourselves. We wish we would have done a little more, just a little better. But honestly, regret just holds us back. There is nothing that can be done to change what is already done. Certainly an apology—if in order—can offer some rebuilding, but only if moving forward. The past is the past. In order to move forward, we can only use it to allow us to make decisions going forward. We have to start where we are and progress from there.

The image we have of ourselves and the image others have of us can vary drastically. We know intimately every little flaw, every single fear, every mistake, every thought we have ever possessed. It is easy to begin to buy into the self-generated idea that we are not enough. But it is just that: self-generated bullshit, thoughts holding us back by attaching themselves to the action of inaction. They keep us from enjoying life fully with reinforcement from the outside world that it still was not enough and we could have done better.

What would come if we stopped listening to that negative talk? What if we first eliminated associating with those that add to it externally? Could we then start quieting the internal defeating self-talk that hinders our own happiness and progression? I not only believe it will make a world of difference, I promise it will. I am experiencing it in spades.

For the first time in a long time, I am reassured by own self that I am good enough. I am again finding my confidence in my decisions. I am living for me and have more to offer to others when I reside here. Compliments and criticism lose their power over me. It is just feedback, and it is easier to accept and apply accordingly. Most importantly, it allows me to live authentically. Able to just be me and be good with who I am. It allows me to enjoy the moment and soak in the moment before me. And when I am good enough for me and comfortable with being me, I can be more for those around me.

Take a moment and breathe. Turn the noise down and the quiet up. Then allow this little tattered cut-out quote to become your reality: “All you are, right now, in this moment, is enough.”

Make it count!