It's not often that people answer the question of "am I good enough" with a resounding "yes." In fact, the idea that you are enough is elusive in the minds of more people than I wish were true, myself included. But think about how life would be if you knew that you were enough. If you didn't even need to answer the "am I good enough" question because you already know that you were. Good enough, that is.
What a weird world that would be, if everyone believed they were good enough. Tensions would decline, confidence would rise, and people just might be a bit more harmonious. But most important of all, your life would be better.
Let's take a closer look at how the ideology of knowing you are enough can change your life.
Without getting too clinical, the word "enough" represents an amount needed or required. The idea that you are enough, therefore, means that you are equipped with everything you need or require to be successful at anything you want. If you believe that you are enough you can confidently move in the direction of your goals and ultimate desires.
To better understand the idea that you are enough, think for a moment about the idea that you aren't enough (chilling, I know). If you didn't believe that you were enough you'd always have self-doubt. If you didn't believe that you were enough you'd answered the question of "am I good enough" with a meek "I hope so." If you didn't believe you were enough you'd often take the safe route and accept what people tell you.
Sound familiar?
You see, the act of knowing that you are enough is the act of judging yourself positively. Specifically, when you believe that you are good enough, you typically:
Just because you are enough doesn't mean that you are everything. In fact, believing that you are enough isn't the act of believing that you can achieve anything you want. Rather, it's knowing that at the end of the day you are in control of your life. That you're the only person you need to rely on - something that no one can take away from you.
Believing that you are enough isn't the act of thinking that you're complete or that you have nothing else to learn. On the contrary, it's knowing that you still have everything to learn, which gives you the ability to become an increasingly better version of yourself. Because even if you try and fail, at the end of the day, knowing that you are good enough helps you get up and try again tomorrow.
Knowing you are good enough can completely change the way you think. If you believe you are, even if it's an attempt to fake it unit you make it, you limit society's hold over you. Instead of worrying about things such as other people's opinions, your own self-doubt, and your crushing fear of failure, you can release these negative emotions and relieve the pressure on your shoulders.
Because at the end of the day, most of your unproductive thoughts and actions come from a fear of inadequacy. For example, if you believe that you aren't good enough, your monkey mind might just take control of your body, causing you to do things such as:
These things and more infect your mind when you don't believe that you are enough. And while these thoughts may never go away, if you believe that you are good enough, you're able to deal with these things in a positive way.
For example, you're always going to have some level of self-doubt. When you believe that you aren't enough, that self-doubt is often the leading factor in your decision-making process. Conversely, when you believe that you are enough, your self-doubt becomes a leading indicator that you're headed in the right direction.
This is because that when you know you're enough, life becomes a fun adventure where you can learn new things, seek new experiences, form new connections, and ultimately grow into a more defined - and refined - version of yourself. This doesn't mean you won't fail. Oh, you'll definitely fail, and more than once.
But when you know that you're enough, failure manifests itself into that new learning or new experience or new connection. Further, when you know that you are good enough, you stop giving your happiness to other people. Rather, you keep it safely guarded within yourself, knowing that you're all the emotional reliance you need.
This one is easy to answer. You are.
You see, humans are born equipped with everything they'll ever need in life. Humans have communication skills, organizational skills, physical strength, opposable thumbs, and the ability to use tools. Tell me, what else do you need?
With these skills and abilities, which, I remind you, we're born with, you have the chance to achieve everything you want in life. No goal or landmark is too far or too lofty. If you can form connections, leverage physical and technological tools, organize yourself as well as the people around you, and use your physical body to your advantage, please, tell me, how are you not enough again?
You're born equipped with all the elements needed to succeed in life. Everything you require is already within you. There's no need - or point - to search for something "more," because there's nothing more to find outside of yourself. The only exploration, in reality, only is inward.
With this in mind, failure isn't a result but rather a chance to learn, grow, and get better. Because at the end of the day you're enough - your anatomy says it's so.
I hope by now that you already know the answer to the question of "am I good enough?" If you're human, you evolved over millions of years to have the exact right mix of skills and physiology to not only survive but actually thrive in your environment.
This means that you are the master of your life and the only person you need to rely on. However, even masters of their lives often neurotically ask if they're still good enough. As much as our nature has given us all we need in life, so too does our nature require us to question us and our surroundings.
It's a survival trade, and you can't have one without the other. But the more you ask yourself if you're good enough, the more you might actually start to wonder. It's like you're training your mind to look at the unknown with terror rather than looking at it as a grand opportunity.
Instead, when your inner voice speaks up and wonders how good you actually are, thank it for its concern but tell it to pipe down. You are enough. You have been since birth.
Everyone wrestles with the question of if they're good enough. You aren't alone. However, make sure you realize that "enough" doesn't mean "complete" or "everything."
Instead, what it means is that you have the skills, abilities, tools, and wherewithal to achieve anything you want in life. I think it's about time you realize that you have all the self-reliance you need to succeed, don't you?
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