March 2nd, 2017

March 2nd, 2017

Affirmation: I am confident.

Word of the Day: crocodilian (adj):

1. hypocritical; insincere.

2. of, like, or pertaining to a crocodile.

3. any reptile of the order Crocodylia, compromising the true crocodiles and the alligators, caimans, and gavials.

There is Some Kiss We Want

There is some kiss we want
with our whole lives,
the touch of spirit on the body.

Seawater begs the pearl
to break its shell.

And the lily, how passionately
it needs some wild darling.

At night, I open the window
and ask the moon to come
and press its face against mine.
Breathe into me.

Close the language-door
and open the love-window.

The moon won't use the door,
only the window.

___

Enough Is Enough

When we use the phrase "enough is enough" we usually mean something along the lines of "no more will be tolerated."

But when taken literally, this phrase is really saying that "enough" is sufficient.

How easy it is forget this.

In today's world, comparison is epidemic. We can feel as though we are always falling short and not measuring up to what we "ought to" and "should" do and be. It can feel as though we are always lacking, behind, fumbling, stumbling, and bumbling our way through life.

The standards are unrelenting and the expectations are suffocating. Nothing we do is ever good enough. And we are never thin enough, smart enough, pretty enough, successful enough, in control enough, likable enough, good enough, perfect enough...

Once we jump on that train thinking, it feels impossible to get off. And the more we think this way, the more our sense of self-worth, self-esteem, and self-confidence take a beating, making it all the more likely that we keep thinking this way.

But it doesn't have to be this way. Life doesn't have to feel like a set up for failure.

The very idea of thinking of a person in terms of "enough-ness" diminishes our humanity, and reduces us to be thought of as utilitarian objects.

Today, whenever thoughts of inadequacy surface, I invite you to ask yourself, "Enough for whom?" And if the answer to that question isn't yourself, please re-examine who you are really living your life for and for what end?

Then, I invite to journal and contemplate these questions:

- If I feel like I am not _____ enough, according to whose standard am I gauging this?

- What would it take for me to feel adequate?

- What is underlying my insecurity? What am I trying to prove? To whom am I trying to prove it? And why?

- What would feeling like I'm enough bring me? What am I looking for in that feeling?

- What do I have to sacrifice to feel like I am enough? What am I willing to sacrifice? What will I be moving away from and towards?

- What does enough look like to me and how is this different than what it looks like to the people in my life and to society?

- What does feeling _____ enough feel like in my body? How does this feeling compare to what it feels like to feel fulfilled or at peace?

- What scares me or makes me uncomfortable about "not measuring up"?

- What standards, expectation, and judgments am I willing to give up? What would giving them up open up space for in my thoughts and in my life?

- What can I do today to improve my sense of self-worth, self-esteem, and/or self-confidence? What discomfort am I willing to make space for in order for this to happen?

- What can I do to disengage from the dialogue when I notice my inadequacy thoughts surface?

- What would it take for me to believe that I am enough - right here, right now, in this moment?

- What would happen if I believed I am enough? How would my life be different?

So today, remind yourself that enough really is enough. And the only thing that should be tolerated no more are the beliefs that undermine our sense of self-worth and convince us otherwise.