Tags
acceptance, awakening, finding joy, happiness, healing, inner peace, love, Maya Angelou, personal power, self-acceptance, the mind, true self
I am not sure how many people realize that they are enough, just as they are. There seems to be this message permeating the world that there is something you still have to do to be the person you are trying to be. I too, have been fooled into this way of thinking many times. The mind tells us that we are not there yet, that there is something we need to do, learn, acquire, etc. to reach the state of enough. What I am beginning to realize is that it was me fooling myself all of this time.
What is enough, anyways? Pretty enough? Smart enough? Strong enough? Successful enough? Happy enough? Why must we be enough of anything, and who said that we weren’t? If someone else said you were not enough in any way, I would like to share a secret for you. The opinions of others hold no weight on who you are. Take them with a grain of salt. The only opinions that matter is what you think about yourself. Your perception of yourself will shape your entire life.
It is easy for the mind to argue with this and start coming up with reasons why you really aren’t enough. Perhaps you didn’t yet achieve that life goal you are striving for. The life you pictured in your mind is not yet here, and you will never feel “complete” until it is. Maybe you did something you regret, and feel like less of a person because of it. Whatever it is, the best thing you can do for yourself is let it go. By letting it go I mean finding acceptance with what is. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dream. By all means, it is wonderful to have things to look forward to in life. However, it is helpful to take an “anticipation without expectation” approach to your future. Be excited for the joys of tomorrow without requiring them to play out in a specific way. Surrender the need for control, because we never had control anyways. We just thought we did.
What I am finding is that the single, greatest obstacle to peace in our lives is ourselves. We are the only one hiding it. While it is easy to blame life for bringing on the challenges, the truth is that there is no one else to blame. The only thing we have control over is how we choose to see the world around us, including ourselves. Forgive yourself, love yourself, and give yourself permission to be whatever you are now. Take the pressure off of yourself.
Everything we could ever need is already right there inside of us. A treasure trove of beauty, love and peace can be found in your own heart. All this time, you were looking outside of yourself for something you already had. No one can validate that, because it is what you already are. It is as if we are already the billionaires of life and we just forgot. We walk around thinking we still have something to prove, and waiting for the right person to tell us that we made it. How silly would it be for a billionaire to feel poor? Yet, that is what happens anytime we see ourselves as less than in any way.
Place your hands on your heart and tell yourself, “I am enough.” Forgive yourself for ever forgetting.
You alone are enough. You have nothing to prove to anybody. ― Maya Angelou