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Enough Is a Self-Defined Word

This is one of my favorite pictures of my step-dad and me. Did we cut enough wood?

Accomplishment Is a Prerequisite for Relaxation

Is that true?

This is a deeply ingrained belief in my mind. It has been the driving force for an almost endless stream of hard work in my life.

I tend to be a perfectionist, a Type-A personality, always feeling like I’m coming from behind. Always, trying to get ahead.

It’s a Kind of Insanity

But when I do The Work, I seem to always get pointed back to one single word: enough.

I can sense the relaxation hiding in that one word. I’ve even tasted it at times.

But Who Defines Enough?

If I let my to-do list define the word enough, I would rarely stop working even to sleep. There is always one more job to do.

If I let my bank account define the word enough, no amount of money seems to be enough to justify slowing things down.

If I let coaches and other business people define the word enough, I would actually choose to accelerate instead of decelerate.

The world does not seem to understand the word enough. At least not the way I like to think of it.

And as Long as I Define Enough By the World’s Standards, It Never Does Feel Like Enough

That’s why I’m asking myself more frequently now, “What is enough for me?”

What is enough clients? What is enough money? What is enough progress? What is enough service? What is enough for me?

Underneath the effort, I’m surprised to find an old, familiar version of myself: a person who is content with simple things.

Are you defining enough by outside standards, or by your own?

Have a great week,
Todd

“It’s enough to accomplish my purpose, and my purpose is to sit here now and sip my tea.” — Byron Katie, A Thousand Names for Joy

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Todd Smith has been doing The Work of Byron Katie on an almost daily basis since 2007. He is just as excited about this simple process of self-inquiry today as he was when he first came across it. He also enjoys writing about The Work, and training others in the subtleties of this meditative process. Join Todd for The Work 101 online course, private sessions, virtual retreats, and his ongoing Inquiry Circle group.