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Column: When enough is enough

Enough, already!

Let`s play a quick word game. I`ll throw a word at you, and you make the necessary associations.

The word,  used as a noun, is: enough. In response, I  hear you say: ordinary. Limited. Average, tepid. No more, no less.

My turn now. And I`m saying: equanimity. Balance, liberation.  Happiness.

I`m saying we need to reset the e-word, to reset our thinking and expectations in connection with that word. For the last few decades, an aura of ordinariness has surrounded the word enough. Enough is a plodder, jogging steadily to stay in place, never quite reaching lofty heights. Enough is all about having stuff that will help you live comfortably but never acquire bragging rights over. Enough is the word you fall back on when you can`t  honestly term something great/terrific or banal/terrible.

Enough got put into a pen years ago, and is still in there. Except, if you look hard, it`s not rattling any chains to break free, it`s not screaming its head off in frustration and anger. It`s sitting quietly in the pen, contemplating something that is clearly bringing peace to it. It is revelling in the JOMO moment.

The writer Pico Iyer has long been an exemplar of how enough is equal to joy, peace of mind and contentment. Be happy with what you have, he`s been saying for years now. It`s time to lean in, listen up.

Let`s get one thing clear. Enough does not mean adopting a life of austerity, getting off social media, giving up doing your own thing. The creed of enoughness implies you do everything you want to do and be happy where you are. Enough is knowing, recognising and setting your priorities. Of living well and giving yourself the permission to live well. Enough is recognising what is necessity, what is indulgence in your life, so that when you do indulge, you do it mindfully.

Enough is fully knowing your self-worth. After which, everything you aim for, reach for, work towards, is basically an act of embellishment. You are moving from a place of self-respect, with a quiet confidence born from the  knowledge of your self-worth.  You achieve what you achieve not to prove a point to yourself or to the world. There is no pressure to perform. No pressure to constantly prove your brilliance, no pressure to always hit it out of the park. No pressure to buy the new It bag, phone, outfit, villa.

Once you gain a comprehensive  understanding of everything enough contains, then you can effortlessly break the limits, effortlessly reach for the stars, prove your brilliance, hit it out of the park, create the next big thing.

Enough is about awareness of the environment, responsibility to sustaining good practices, taking care of ourselves and the world we live in. You will find it comes easy because enough is also a firm repudiation of excess.

Enough is coasting on endless happiness. Enough is a bubble that encloses you in its flexible embrace. You are happy with what your friends achieve but in no way do their achievements make you feel threatened or insecure. Because you know you are enough.

Donald Trump once said: `Change your attitude and gain some altitude. Believe me, you’ll love it up here.` Let`s tweak that maxim:  `Change your attitude; settle for what you have; aim for contentment, and it`s a sure thing that you`ll love the altitude of serenity and satisfaction that you will have gained.`