Too much of “not enough”
Did you get enough sleep last night?
Were you productive enough this week?
Did you exercise enough? Eat enough healthy foods? Buy enough? Do enough? Have enough?
Lots of new faces have joined us and many familiar ones are back in class with the start of spring! Awesome! But with this, there is usually a lot of concern over whether someone will be “good enough” when dancing in class, or whether someone is “in shape enough” after the winter.
We can all feel like not enough if you look at areas of our life, and still you need to remember— You, just as you are right now, are ENOUGH!
If you are picking ourselves apart constantly, always feeling relentless pressure to evolve and change, it’s unlikely you will ever get to the moment you will feel satisfied. Once you’ve finally lost weight, once you’ve bought the new purse, once you’ve got the partner/kids/ house etc, you won’t necessarily feel you are or have enough.
We have to find meaning in the process. Joy and presence in the doing, rather than happiness attached to the result.
I’ll tell you the truth—I never feel like I look my best at this time of year. But if I spend a class looking in the mirror criticizing myself, I miss out on connecting with my students, I forget to enjoy the music, and lose out on the fun in the moment that there is to be had.
For me, it’s a lesson I can take outside of the classroom to the rest of my life— getting wrapped up in not feeling enough causes me to miss what’s right in front of me. Critiquing, speaking poorly to or shaming myself does not inspire and motivate me to grow in a sustainable way. It leads to burn out and slipping into old patterns as soon as a goal is reached temporarily.
When I tell myself I am enough, just as I am today, I find areas I am doing well in, I’m overcome with gratitude instead of dissatisfaction, and I treat myself with respect and love.
This week if you have a moment where you are feeling down and less than, tell yourself, “I am enough.” Love the work in progress that you are, dance from the heart, missteps and all!
xx,
Katie