I am enough

This month we’ve been considering the concept of Understanding Me.

We’ve looked at strategies for self-awareness, we’ve considered how to think about our qualities or a sense of vocation. We’ve also thought about ways other people can encourage us. This has been put together with the idea in mind that when we understand ourselves, we can get a greater sense of who we are and grow in our wellbeing. We’ve found this works.

But one area that can be tough in this discussion is when we are confronted with the areas of our lives, we find tough. If we look in the mirror and we see the places where we struggle or the areas of our character, we find hard, it takes a particular confidence to still feel good.

When life challenges us we can sometimes be reminded of these areas of struggle and can be forgiven for wondering if we can overcome the challenges we face. Here, it’s vital we allow ourselves to hear and understand this simple concept.

That I am enough.

Brene Brown writes this:

“Wholehearted living is about engaging with our lives from a place of worthiness. It means cultivating the courage, compassion and connection to wake up in the morning and think, ‘No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough.’ It’s going to bed at night thinking, ‘Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging.”

Brene Brown’s basic concept of life is this – that whatever we are good at or not, we are worthy of love and belonging and we (although we may not be perfect) are enough to face every situation.

It’s important to hear what we are saying here through understanding what we are not saying.

No one is perfect. We all have challenges to confront, we all have areas of weakness. This is the nature of being a human being.

But what we can say is that we are enough – we won’t get everything right but we will be enough to overcome.

You are enough to deal with the relationships you’re involved in.

You are enough to overcome challenges.

You are enough to be you in the world.

You are enough to play your part in your community and bring all the qualities you possess.

Our reaction to being enough is sometimes to focus on our weaknesses – surely I’m not enough for this. Yet our weaknesses can shout so much louder than our strengths. We hear the criticisms of the past. We hear all our self-doubts. As a result we can shrink away and feel that we can’t cope.

But despite these challenges you are able to overcome - you have done before, you will again. There is no-one quite like you and no-one able to be better at being you. You have much to offer and a part to play in the world - and no-one has the right to deny you that.

When we think we are enough we can begin to focus on the qualities we have and we can begin to believe that these things can help me through. That I can be enough.