Just Enough

Sufficiency isn’t an amount at all. It is an experience, a context we generate, a declaration, a knowing that there is enough, that we are enough. ~ Lynne Twist

We are already whole. We already belong. We are already worthy and lovable. Fixated as we are on doing, it can be easy to forget that our best selves arise from simply being. And, in fact, we are always our best selves: the modifier is unnecessary since we are whole, as Br. David Steindl-Rast acknowledges, in the eternity of now. We are not problems to be fixed, solved, or improved upon. This simple practice helps us affirm all that we already are without reason.

Come into a space of presence in whatever way works well for you.

Part I:

Without thinking too much, write down some of the ways in which you feel lacking. Use the following language for your statements: I’m not _________ enough.  

If you think of a statement framed as “I’m too ______,” reframe it as a “not enough” statement for the purpose of this exercise.

For example: I’m too sensitive could be I’m not thick-skinned enough.

Part II:

When you are done with this list, write a new list either below or beside the original. This time, reverse each of the statements you wrote.

For example: I’m not strong enough becomes I’m strong enough.

Part III (Optional):

You might also experiment with writing a third list that takes the statements from the second list and drops the word “enough.”

For example: I’m strong enough becomes I’m strong.

Reflection:

Sit quietly for a minute or two after you have completed your lists and notice how you feel. What arises for you? What physical, emotional, or energetic shifts have you experienced?

You can take this practice further by choosing one of the affirmative statements to hold through the week. Incorporate the affirmation into your meditation or movement practice. Say the affirmation aloud while looking at yourself in the mirror. Write it on a post-it note that you place somewhere you pass by often, such as your refrigerator or work station. You could even sing the affirmation to a tune you make up.

Know you can always return to these affirmations as support in cultivating self-love. When we lead our lives from a place of wholeness, we open to relationships with others that reflect this wholeness — a foundational step for healing the world.