“Whatever you did today is enough. Whatever you felt today is valid. Whatever you thought today isn’t to be judged.”
― Brittany Burgunder
My friend and frequent podcast guest, Terry Hershey, often speaks of wading in to life with grace. On one show I asked him to define grace since it is fraught with such a huge field of meaning, with both religious and non-religious connotations.
Grace is Enough
Terry believes the definition of grace is simple: It is when you feel you ARE enough! This thought resonates with Terry’s encouragement to find that place where you are “comfortable in your own skin.”
Believing that you are enough is quite challenging in a world that seems to be intent on telling you that you are not enough. Even self-help pundits (perhaps especially self-help pundits) advertise that you are some how “lacking” and that you NEED their “personal improvement” or “personal productivity” seminars and you must practice their, not so inexpensive, products.
These so-called experts feed on your culturally induced feelings of inadequacy, when they could do so much better if they encouraged you for being who you are. So many institutions (businesses, schools, and sports) all depend on “improvement,” with a persistent message that you are not quite good enough and you therefore always must be on the path of getting better.
On the Need to Improve
I am not opposed to improvement. I am not opposed to self-help experts. In fact, I have a personal life coach to help me manage my life in accordance with my gifts and talents.
But… I am opposed to defining myself by my inadequacies and need for improvement. I prefer to define myself by the bearings of my heart and the graciousness of my soul. It has more to do with being a “good person” than trying to be a “great performer.” I think “being enough” is wrapped up by the measure of goodness you invest in other people and in the needs of the world.
On the Inadequacy of Improvement
For instance, my son is a professional baseball player whose “goodness” is constantly measured by how he performs. It is ruthless and brutal. People almost always say to me you must be so proud of your son. I always, and I mean always, tell them something like, “Yes, I am proud of my son… but not because he plays pro ball, but because he is a good man.” He deeply cares about his teammates and his family and friends. He also has brought access to clean water to more than 10,000 people in Africa.
Even at only 27, he is believing that he is enough… as a man and as a person. Of course he needs to improve on the field of play. That is one of the objectives of the game. But that need for performance improvement has absolutely nothing to do with his value as a person. Whoever he is, he is enough today.
What If?
What if you truly believed you were enough… just the way you are! What if you could silence the voices of society and the voice of your Inner Critic just long enough to settle in and allow yourself to believe the truth about yourself… you are loved, you are appreciated. You ARE enough!
You Are Enough
And THAT is Enough
Photo courtesy of fizkes at istockphoto
