#beingenough

I've been thinking a lot lately about the concept of "doing enough" - something that I am not too familiar with, but I am striving to learn about.

Let me explain. In a society that is forever defined by what we achieve, not who we are or what we stand for, we often feel as if we must always be actively improving just to keep up. We must get another degree. We must get a promotion. We must win a race. We must be perfect mothers and fathers. We must go to countless yoga classes. Furthermore, we must be thin, fit, on time, smart, witty and incredibly good at our jobs.

This would be possible for robots, but for flawed humans, not so much. I believe it keeps us in a constant state of less than and forces us to comparison with the people around us. We compare our insides to their outsides, saying "They have it together - why don't I?" This is self-abuse if the message is spoken internally more than once. If it inspires us out of stuckness in a positive way, then congrats - you are one of the few people on earth that doesn't flagellate yourself for being less than perfect.

In a time like we are currently in not only in the United States but in the world as a whole, I think we feel helpless a lot. I know I do. My heart hurts so much when I see the suffering and terror on the faces of people during major tragedies. When I worked in breaking news it was too much for my heart to take as I am an empathic person. I'd go home from work physically and emotionally exhausted and I hadn't even been at the site of the latest shooting. All I had had to do was tell the story and even that sucked the life out of me.

I will share with all of you the words I now tell to myself every day in an ultimate act of self love. You are enough. For today, you have done enough. It is OK to sit still. In fact, it's more than OK; it gives us essential time to rest, heal, and see within ourselves to hear our own messages. If sitting still right now means feeling tremendous pain, I understand and I offer you all the compassion in the world, because I know. I know all too well. And if you can even sit still and feel it for one minute, you are doing warrior's work. Because the real journey for us is within.

If you feel helpless in the face of tragedy, sit still. Channel compassion for yourself so you can later give it to those who need it most. When your energy is gathered, help where and how you can. Remember that can look like everything from donating money and food to being kind to a stranger who desperately needs it. The opportunities are everywhere if you can cultivate enough inner silence to HEAR and then see them.