You are enough!

What if this was something you actually believed about yourself instead of an idea you just wished for?

Everybody wants to be “enough”—those with few financial resources, those in the middle, and even the wealthy. Yet, ironically, getting to the top 1% doesn't diminish the feelings of insufficiency. 

The reason is because everyone wants more money, more time, more love, more vitality. Just a little bit more. But it’s the striving for more that leaves us feeling hollow, anxious about the future, and without joy. 

But “enough” is available to everyone, regardless of how much money is in the bank.

Meeting Your Basic Needs… and Beyond

It should be said that if your basic survival needs are not being met, then I encourage you to gain clarity about what you need and activate your wisdom for the most likely ways to satisfy your needs (which could include asking for help from friends or family).

Once our basic needs are met, we might imagine that a $1 million or $5 million windfall, or working fewer hours, or having a longer vacation, would give us a feeling of enough. But, do you know anyone who consistently feels they have enough? I have counseled people whose net worths have soared, yet their thirst for more has never been quenched. Benjamin Franklin said “Money has never made man happy, nor will it, there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness. The more of it one has, the more one wants.” 

A 2010 study by Daniel Kahneman and a 2018 study from Purdue University found that an income range of $60,000 to $105,000 optimizes our well-being. So, yes, our happiness increases as our income climbs beyond $60,000, but it flattens or even falls once we surpass $105,000.

At this moment of the pandemic, we presumably have so much less in our lives. Maybe it’s the perfect time to retrain our brains from always wanting more (regardless of circumstances) to feeling satisfied with what we have.

“Enough” is possible for anyone at any time.

It’s not something that comes when we achieve our dreams. It can’t be earned in the 3rd quarter of 2022. The realization that we have enough happens in this moment as you're reading this. When we recognize that our brains are wired to want more, regardless of circumstances, we have the ability to cultivate contentment in this moment. 

Five Steps To Achieving “Enough” in Your Money Life

Here are brain rewiring suggestions to embrace “Enough":

1. Try journaling for 5 minutes on the following: What if I had to live on less? We may feel so isolated at present, that we might welcome the chance to move in with friends, even if it’s motivated by the need to save money. My sense is that what you write won't be as scary as you might imagine, and that's freedom.
   
   
2. Pause right now for one moment of the day, and imagine that you have enough, right now. Satisfaction and joy are here, right now, with what we have and who we are in this moment.
   
   
3. Review instances in your life when actually achieving more money, higher status, more time, or love did little to bring you more sustained joy or ease. Perhaps it was after a salary increase or business expansion, a year after you met the love of your life, or after you purchased a “time-saving” iPhone or technology service. Before too long, you were probably wanting another promotion, more love from your partner, more free time.
   
   
4. Recall moments when your happiness had little to do with money, time, or love. Maybe this was a sunset hike, singing with friends, or playing with your child or nephew. What was the common denominator in these experiences? My guess is that you were in the present moment, not in the past, and definitely not in the future.
   
   
5. The next time someone asks, “How are you?” walk the talk. Clearly convey that you do have enough time, money, vitality, friendship, and love. The ‘enough’ revolution has begun. For example, break the pattern of saying “I’m busy and overwhelmed” and start saying “I’m feeling spacious and not so busy anymore.”

Even if you have to fake it till you make it, begin now. 

The Power of Appreciating “Enough”

Our whole culture is conditioning us towards the future, encouraging us always to want more. Therefore, it takes conscious intention on our part to say “enough is enough” and let go of our attachment to the idea of any future being better than today.

Appreciate 3 or more things in your home or office. This acceptance will train your brain to enjoy this very moment. This is the path both to having enough and to a felt sense of real joy. Let go of the idea of ‘enough’ arriving when the pandemic fades away, the inheritance arrives, the promotion begins, the raise is awarded, or when you find the right house or partner. Let go of the possibility of the future bringing you a life-changing gift. It will calm your nerves in this upside-down time. And when we are deeply relaxed, our wisdom—including our wisdom around money—is accessible. 

You are enough.

It’s that simple.

—

If you’re interested in developing your inner wealth, join me at Fearless Finance University!