As you read these lines, what is your reaction? How do these words make you feel? Do you think that enough could ever actually be enough? Could you feel comfortable with just enough or do you only feel comfortable when you have way in excess of what you need… just in case?

While what might immediately spring to mind is enough money in the bank, the concept of “enough” extends much further than the security we invest in our bank balance to the amount of food in your house – right down to how much you have actually and figuratively on your plate.

In a concrete example, do you know that according to the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, every household in Ireland is responsible for one ton of food waste per annum? The cost per household is between €400 and €1,000 per year. Surely this is something we all need to think about. Could having more than enough actually be a waste?

Quite simply, start by telling yourself “I am enough”

I have two things for us this month. The first thing is how we work at valuing ourselves more, in terms of believing we’re enough.

The second is the tendency in Ireland to confuse excessive amounts of food and drink with hospitality, when in fact this can point towards our tendency to actually be wasteful with our resources. I think one will naturally feed into the other (if you excuse the pun).

So how do I get myself to believe I am good/happy/successful enough? Well, quite simply, start by telling yourself “I am enough”.

You may well find yourself scoffing at this idea, but if you were to unpick why you feel you’re not good/happy/successful enough, you’ll no doubt find it’s because you’ve been telling yourself (often subconsciously) that you’re not and believing that assertion as true. So it follows that if it works so well in the negative way, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t also work in the positive direction.

The only thing stopping you is the resistance of your own mind to change what has become a habit for you. So get in the habit of telling yourself, “I am enough”.

When you begin to feel, believe and live in this type of balanced way, you’ll begin to discover that the tendency to purchase and consume mindlessly will slowly begin to fade

By all means, fake it until you make it, by which I mean repeating those words to yourself multiple times daily with belief and conviction over the coming weeks and months. What will eventually happen is you’ll start to feel and believe it and this is when a transformation in how you see yourself and how you interact with the world can begin.

From the simplest of statements and beliefs, you will begin to spontaneously say to yourself in certain situations: “Actually, I am enough. I am smart enough. I am pretty enough. I have enough and enough is enough: not too much, not too little, just right. Enough is enough.”

When you begin to feel, believe and live in this type of balanced way, you’ll begin to discover that the tendency to purchase and consume mindlessly will slowly begin to fade. Instead, you’ll find yourself purchasing and consuming in an altogether more sustainable and mindful way.

Like all mindful practices, this way of living has the side effect of allowing happiness to grow within us and if we use this kind of mindful way of consuming to help us be less wasteful in our homes, we’re in line to save ourselves up to €1,000/year … what’s not to like?!

Exercises

Physical Exercise

This month I’m going to suggest you explore what you can do. Don’t let what you see as your limitations get in the way of trying, but remember we’re working with the Goldilocks principle: not too much, not too little.

So rather than climb a mountain on day one, a 20-minute brisk stroll on the flat might be enough to get your blood flowing and your heart pumping.

In my own life recently, I injured my knee and I was really laid up with it for weeks. My very good friend Claire called to ask me to go for a swim with her and I said to her: “I can’t, I only have one leg.”

Her response was: “Well then, just kick with that one leg.” And in that simple statement came the clearest of all truths: things don’t have to be perfect to make a start, we all have enough to get ourselves out doing something. So long as we have breath in our bodies, we have enough.

Mindfulness Exercise

Repeat to yourself daily “I am enough” or “I have all I need”. Leave little notes for yourself around the house reminding you of these assertions. If that all seems too public, set a reminder either on your phone to go off in the morning, at lunchtime and then at night time. Whatever suits your lifestyle, get in the habit of saying “I am enough” or “I have all I need” to yourself until such time as you begin to believe it. Don’t give up on yourself. You are enough!

Something to ponder

Happiness is an inside job. If we’re looking for external acknowledgements that we’re living well, if you’re waiting for someone else to confirm you are rich enough, smart enough, successful enough, then you’ll never be truly happy.

True contentment can only ever be experienced when your focus is on what you have now, not on what you perceive you lack now.

As Thich Nhat Hanh says: “It is possible to live happily in the here and the now. So many conditions of happiness are available - more than enough for you to feel happy right now, you don’t need to rush into the future to get more.” And as I say and believe, enough is absolutely enough.