You are enough!

You are enough! You are enough! It doesn’t matter how many times you hear those words you won't believe it. It doesn’t matter how many times I tell someone those words it won't matter. “You are enough” doesn’t matter until you believe “I AM ENOUGH”.

You see people's perceptions of us can only go as far as what we believe about ourselves. In order for me to believe your “You are enough” I must first believe my own “I AM ENOUGH”.

But where does our “enough” come from? Where do we get our sense of being “enough”? Does it start with our parents and their ability to show us unconditional love and support? Does it come from our friendships and relationships? How do we know we are enough?

Society tells us that we are “enough” when we have achieved certain standards. When we make a certain amount of money or have a certain lifestyle THEN we are enough. When we have a heteronormative relationship bound by the arctic principles of marriage in accordance to a higher power sanctioned ceremony THEN we are “enough”. When we have reached some sort of pinnacle of the collectives definition of “enough” we achieve the level of “YOU are enough”. But how to we achieve “I AM ENOUGH”?

“I AM ENOUGH” starts with examining our own inner standards separate from those of the collective. In learning how to be grateful for all of the things we do have rather than those things we don’t. “I AM ENOUGH” comes from the realization that no relationship can define you until you are able to define yourself. She/He loving you won’t make you enough until YOU love you. In the same way you know that when you love someone else you love them faults and all you now have to understand that you loving you is the same. You love you despite the flaws, mistakes, and disappointments. That you wouldn’t be YOU without those bumps, bruises and scars. Why is it that we can so readily give our hearts to someone else unconditionally but withhold it from ourselves? Don’t we owe it to ourselves to be at least as kind to ‘us’ as we are to others?

“I AM ENOUGH” means that right now, right here in this moment I know that I am the best me I can ever be, warts and all and that is enough.