Have you ever stopped and quantified what enough means to you?
Enough time, money, fitness, friends, relationships, business, how much is it? This can seem like a daunting task, where to begin? Our brains are designed and automatically tuned into the “more” frequency so defining enough takes effort. Here are three steps to take in breaking the circuit and refining what enough means to you.
First, recognize that enough is your choice.
It’s not the job of a financial planner, mentor, or other professional to define enough for you. If someone you trust is telling you what your enough should be, pause and step back. This feedback can be valuable, but it requires your input and final say. Only you can honestly answer what enough means to you in your own words. My definition of enough is going to be different than yours and that’s totally ok. It’s not a competition; there are no winners or prizes, enough is personal. Peacefulness arrives when you become selfish, yes, I said it, and set time aside for reflecting and deciding what exactly matters. How much do you need to accumulate in the various areas of your life to feel purposeful and happy? Without practice and intention, more is always the answer.
Second, communication is critical with yourself and other stakeholders.
Spoiler, most couples have different definitions of what enough looks like which can be challenging. It’s valuable to revisit, clarify, and agree on what enough looks like together overtime. Why? We are all constantly changing and adapting to our environment. What we calibrated as enough years ago may likely have changed overtime as we’ve changed. Enough isn’t necessarily static, and this shouldn’t be surprising. Without communication and updates today, cracks will form and expand which creates friction in our ideas and relationships. This is completely avoidable with effort, making time to talk matters.
Finally, recognize our brains are constantly looking for short cuts to get answers so we can move on to the next decision or task.
The secret to quantifying your enough is verbalizing your definition with a friend. Why? Talking out loud with someone you trust empowers you to make better choices. It helps clear the noise in your head and the competing to-do list that never seems to end. We make better decisions when we verbalize what’s on our mind. This step partnered with a sounding board creates time and allows space for you to clarify your definition of enough. Real life examples illustrate the value of working through your thoughts verbally so your brain can refine what enough truly means.
Companies can’t run themselves, their made up of smart men and women dedicated to strategy, growth, and doing good. A board of directors is created, and meetings are held quarterly to address challenges, opportunities, relationships, and most importantly open communication. There’s a reason why the most productive board meetings are held live and not remotely via teleconference. Talking out loud, in the presence of others creates ideas and initiatives that may be distributed to management. The same is true when talking with a friend.
Knowing what enough means to you creates a baseline to work from.
It can be taxing to recall where you’ve traveled from, the obstacles you’ve addressed, and the hard choices you’ve made. How quickly we forget our resilience, determination, grit, and energy that has delivered us to where we are today. Communicating with a friend, similar to a board meeting, provides a vantage point from the outside. This addresses blind spots and provides ongoing accountability so your enough stays relevant. It’s easy to keep our ideas to ourselves or skip over what’s necessary, we’ll get it next time. More pounces at this opportunity and tries to take control. Don’t let it.
It takes a fair bit of patience and discipline in following a process and refining what enough truly means to you. Creating a tolerance around uncertainty helps you define enough. Not doing so, sours the present which is probably really fantastic and ours for the taking if we know what we have. Don’t let “more” hijack your brain and keep you on the hamster wheel. Life is good when you can describe what enough means to you and those you care about.
