People are under an enormous amount of pressure in today's world. Pressure to make six figures. Pressure to go to the best college. Pressure to have a successful marriage and children by the time we're 30. Pressure to have the most likes on Instagram. With all of this pressure comes a lot of social anxiety and depression. But it can also come with a lot of motivation.
We see so many beautifully scripted quotes on Pinterest telling women to be “okay” with themselves and that all of their struggles will be “okay.” We see t-shirts telling us things like, “You’re so worth loving” and “You are enough."
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Telling a woman that she is “enough” is like telling her she looks “fine” when she just spent four hours primping in front of the mirror to get ready for a date. We even use the term "enough" when we want to halt something. The truth is, why put a stop to something that can be so much more? Why tell the waiter "that's enough" when he's grating the cheese over your baked manicotti when you can have so much more. You can be so much more.
Ladies, you are not “enough.” You are so much more than “enough.”
We, as women, probably spend 75% of our day comparing ourselves to others or thinking of the “what ifs” and “what could have been” situations. We focus on what we will eat and what we will not let ourselves eat and what we’re wearing to the next big event and more importantly, what quote or caption are we going to use to make our lives look better to those we are trying to impress on Instagram every weekend. We try to impress those same people that tell us that we are “enough."
Imagine what it would be like if we surrounded ourselves be people who not only told us we are more than “enough.” Better yet, imagine what it would be like if we actually believed it? Would someone who is just “enough” be brave enough to walk on a stage in a bathing suit with no prior pageant experience after giving birth less than two years ago? Would a woman who is only “enough” have the confidence to show her before-and-after photos on Facebook after losing over 100 pounds? Do you think that girl who is simply “enough” would walk away from an abusive relationship and still see the positive in every situation? Not a chance.
The world is a better place because we work hard to become better people for whatever reason or motivation it may stem from. But if we don’t already believe that we look more than just “fine" in that tight black dress, then how can we lift others up so they also know how much they are worth?
If we don't believe that we are more than just mediocre, then how will we show our daughters what true self-love is? How will we teach them to stay true to themselves when they don't feel like they stand out in a crowd? We have become dependent on striving for perfection and social acceptance because the world we are reaching towards for answers is the one telling us that we are only enough.
You are not “enough". You are nowhere near “enough”. You are so much more than “enough”.
