What does the word ‘enough’ even really mean? It’s an abstract measurement of what something should be. You tell the guy grating cheese on your pasta at Olive Garden, “that’s enough,” or you hear parents say, “that’s enough!” to their kids when they’re crying. But what does the word mean to you? I bet I can tell you:

You want to be enough: pretty enough, smart enough, funny enough, social enough, out-going enough, responsible enough, cool enough, tough enough and good enough.

Well let me tell you something, you are way more than just enough.

People are getting tattoos that say “I am enough” for a constant reminder. Others are telling themselves that after a breakup, whether it be a boyfriend or a friend. I’m here to tell you that you’re more than just the simple word ‘enough.’ Enough isn’t a good enough word for what you are. You are you, which automatically makes you beautiful and unique. There is no one else like you in this world, so why are you trying to put yourself in a box with others? You’re never going to fit the mold of how pretty you think you should be or how good you should be at something. You’re never going to find the happy medium of going out too much and staying in all the time and you don’t have to. The thing about this world is that it’s always trying to make us fear that we are not good enough. Basically, the world wants us to look, act, think and say the ideal things and when we don’t, we don’t think we’re enough or we aren’t who we’re supposed to be. Life twists us and pulls us in directions that seem appropriate in this society, but that doesn’t always mean they’re right for us. For example, If you don’t want to go to the gym, don’t. You don’t have to be like everyone else going. That’s really important.

So many girls try and act like the “cool” girlfriend. You want to sit on the couch and play video games with the guys, chug a beer with the best of them and never ever be the jealous type. Now, some guys go for this girl, but others realize they’re into girls because they’re girls. Some guys don’t want a girl who’d rather play Xbox than read Cosmo magazine. So if you’re that girl who wants to read, sing, dance, color, gossip, whatever, then do it. Stop trying to make yourself into something someone else is going to like. You have to like you, so relax and be yourself. If you don’t think you’re enough for someone and he’s also making you feel that way, follow Beyonce’s advice and tell him, “boy, bye.”

The big one is: Am I pretty enough? I’m not sure what we think we need to be pretty enough for. Pretty enough to get a boyfriend? Pretty enough for other people to think we’re pretty? I don’t know. What I do know is that it’s a vicious cycle of doubt and it’s unacceptable. There are days that we all wake-up, look at ourselves with bed head and say, “woof.” However, there are days where we feel great about ourselves in a certain outfit or right after a new hair cut! We are as pretty as the thoughts about ourselves are and who we are on the inside. The problem is, no one thinks we’re pretty enough. We need to start training our minds to be more positive because at this rate, we’ll be ruined. One of my favorite quotes reads, “We get so worried about being pretty. Let’s be pretty kind. Pretty funny. Pretty smart. Pretty strong.” This speaks volumes to me because that’s what we should be worrying about, not if we’re enough or as pretty as someone else. How about we use the word enough in comments like, “That’s enough body shaming myself,” or take a note from the parents yelling at their kids for crying and tell ourselves, “That’s enough. Just stop” and maybe we will lose our negativity.

Ninety-nine percent of you don’t think you’re good enough because you failed at something or someone told you that you weren’t. But here’s the thing, you are good enough. If you’re kind, a good friend, girlfriend/spouse, loving and you truly begin to believe in yourself, those doubts will go away. This world is cruel and it is constantly trying to make us compete and challenge each other to a game of Who is the Best. We have to fight to love ourselves, fight against our demons and the toxic ones in our lives, fight against our minds, which are always telling us we’re not on the right track and so on. This world and our minds will crush us if we let it. So don’t. Tell your mind to STFU and be proud of who you are.

If you take nothing from this, I want you to hear me when I say: Stop thinking you aren’t pretty enough because one boy didn’t like you. Stop thinking you aren’t good enough because you failed at something or didn’t get the job you were after. Stop thinking you aren’t smart enough because you did poorly on a test, or because someone proved you wrong and embarrassed you. Just stop. Be yourself and you’ll be way more than good enough. Don’t just settle for enough. Be great, unique, beautiful, kind, smart, caring and most importantly, be proud to be yourself. At the end of the day, one else has to like you or think you’re good enough, but you have to like yourself.