The Enough Excuse
From “I’m not or don’t have enough.” to “I am enough; I have enough.”

Sounds like:
I’m not skilled enough.
I don’t have enough money.
I don’t have enough experience.
I don’t have enough knowledge.
I don’t have enough time.
I’m not unique enough.
I’m not old enough.
I’m not young enough.

“Enough” seems like a harmless word, doesn’t it?

It subtly sneaks into your thought patterns and becomes so ingrained in your daily vocabulary you hardly even notice it.

And yet, when paired with “not” or “don’t”, the damage it can cause is wide and deep.

Enough stands in the way of your ability to start, keeping you on a constant hamster wheel of trying to do and be more.

But how can you truly judge whether you are or have “enough”?

One day back in early February, I sat in a local cafe with my laptop (what’s that like again?). As part of my creative project for the coaching program I was doing, I had to research and reach out to experts for interviews.

As I clicked through websites and Instagram accounts of talented, smart, creative women expressing their ideas and selves with the world, I started to feel smaller and smaller. My body physically reacted; my heart beat faster, my breath became more shallow.

For me, “not enough” shows up in comparison.

I judge my ideas and my words compared to the ideas and words of others. Those who’ve run businesses longer than me, who have larger communities than I have, or who share similar ideas to mine.

So when I start to compare myself and my ideas to others, my excuse sounds like this:
“My idea isn’t good enough; it won’t resonate with anyone. The things I want to share, and say -- they’re not unique or special enough; so many people are already doing or saying similar things. So I really shouldn’t do this or share this at all.”

My excuse has sounded like that for years.

Here’s what I’ve realised about being “enough”:
“Not enough” is a child of scarcity.
When you think in scarcity, you’ll operate out of scarcity. If you believe you aren’t or don’t have enough, then you won’t. But when you think in abundance, then there’s always enough. Enough room in this world for you, enough knowledge for you to take the first step, enough time left for you.

You have what you need already inside you — right now.

So maybe you don’t know all the things you need to know, or you’re early in your experience or skill — you have within yourself right now the ability to get whatever it is that you need.

And to help you reframe this excuse, I turn to a very handy phrase I learned in my college improv days: “yes, and.”

Use this phrase to hold back judgement on yourself, your ideas, your abilities, and your knowledge.

“Yes, I do need to gain experience working with clients, and I can learn how to do that. I already know how to organise, plan, and communicate really well. I can use what I know already to get started and practice what I need to learn.”

Rather than focusing on what you don’t have or don’t know, focus on what you do have and know. Practice curiosity around how you can use what you already have inside you and use that to step forward.

You are enough.