Defining Enough Infographic

Am I enough?

There’s often a point during the holiday season where I ask myself: Did I do enough? Is this enough stuff? And ultimately: Am I enough?

This place of self-doubt is uncomfortable. And, to be honest, I find myself there more often than I’d like to admit. I’ve heard it’s a frequent feeling for mothers, especially, and it got me thinking about the idea of enough. It’s such a slippery word and concept: What is enough? How much do we need? To survive, to be happy, to thrive?

The perception of the world is that there is a level everyone should strive to attain to have “enough.” But the reality is that beyond having our basic survival needs met (air, food, water, shelter, clothing, sleep), enough is a level we get to set for ourselves. We can strive for as much or as little as we feel we need. 

Shortly after Benji and I got married, we started a joke that has sort of turned into a core value in our lives: Let’s live the “Frugal High Life.” (It has nothing to do with the beer of the same name.) Some of it comes from necessity, some from choice. Live big in a little house. Spend money where it counts, and instead of going for more, going for better (hello, local businesses!). Savor the good stuff that filters through our lives. It’s an ongoing effort and it’s not always easy.

This holiday season, winter, and beyond, I challenge our readers to do the same. Support your neighbor’s businesses, shopping local for holiday gifts. Plan outings to our region’s many high quality museums and activities. Participate in events that bring our community together, and help you find fulfilling relationships and gratitude for this place we get to call home.

As you’re doing this, start defining your enough. In our Winter 2022-23 Inspire(d), writer Olivia Lynn Schnur takes us through this process of Defining Enough for ourselves in our day-to-day and larger lives in her mental health article. What are your needs, right now? What is most important to you? What goals, if achieved, would be enough for you to be satisfied? 

Don’t worry: Your enough is not something you have to commit to forever. Enough right now might look totally different from enough tomorrow, and that’s okay. And no matter what, I’m here to remind you that each day you are doing all you can do, and that’s enough.

XOXO – Aryn