E is for Enough

Join me on a journey towards a simple, sustainable and meaningful life. Throughout November we will be exploring each category of the A-Z guide to a simple, sustainable and meaningful life. Today we’re looking at E… Enough.

This guide has been written from the point of view of someone living with chronic illness but the topics and concepts discussed are relevant to everyone and anyone.

E is for Enough

Acknowledging and accepting that you have enough is central to simplifying your life.

The word, enough, has been my focus word for 2015. I’ve been working on accepting that the good things in my life make the negatives not so big a deal. I’ve also been trying to reduce the number of items and activities I bring into my life as a way of simplifying and focusing on what is meaningful.

Decluttering is an activity that seems to be very popular at the moment. People wanting to reduce the amount of stuff they have in their lives so that they can do more and be more.

You can declutter many different aspects of your life including your home (of physical items), your calendar (of tasks and activities), and your mind (of negative thoughts), but if you don’t acknowledge that you have enough you are likely to keep replacing all the things you are removing.

By recognising what is enough for you, you can leave open space available for spontaneous things that are important to you.

Over the last few months I’ve acknowledged that I have:

  • All the clothes I need (if not too many)
  • The love and support I need in my life in the form of my family and friends and my wider community.
  • Enough money to cover my needs and many of my wants
  • The health to be able to do at least some of the things that are important to me.

I’m able to help others in their life, minimise any negative impacts my actions have on the world around me, and spend time with those I love and care about.

I am enough as I am. Yes, I may not be able to do everything I used to or that I want to do, but I am able to do what I need to in order to show those around me I still care. I am still able to make an impact.

Your homework today is to think about what ‘Enough’ means for you. Identify aspects of your life where you have (or are) enough. If you feel up to it share some of these with us below.

5 comments

  1. […] Enough did that for me last year. There were many times when I felt I needed to do more or buy more items. Most of these times I remembered my word and felt better about only doing what I could or reducing the items I had rather than adding to them. […]

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