How much is Enough?

As I sit by the window looking out at the teaming rain, my thoughts have turned to the idea of “enough”.

You see, today I am thrilled that it is raining hard for we have been without Enough rain the last few weeks. So little, in fact, that we have not had to mow our lawn in almost 3 weeks! That is unheard of during summer in NC. My beautiful fig tree is suffering and plants are wilting from thirst all around me. So, with this rain, I am imagining the earth’s rejoicing and drinking it in, just as I am!

However, if it were to keep raining like this for a few days, not only would it be too much for me, but also too much for the ground, grass and plants. How much is Enough rain? That may be able to be defined in some scientific way, determining how much rain plants, grass and trees need to be healthy and grow before drowning. When it comes to our own lives, however, we often struggle to define Enough.

How much is Enough money?

How much is Enough down time?

How much is Enough work?

How much is good Enough?

What happens when we can’t answer these questions?

When we are not able to define Enough, we often lose sight of how much we DO have and instead focus our attention on what we have NOT done yet, how much we are MISSING, or how far away we BELIEVE we are toward our goals.

Enough is a measure. It can be a measure of progress, of effort, of the outcomes we have achieved. We can then strive to do, be or have more than enough AND because we know how much Enough is, we can also allow ourselves to bask in the bounty we have for a minute, a month or a lifetime.

What would it feel like to you if you knew you

Had enough?

Were enough?

Inspired Action

Have you ever had those moments when you were just not sure of your next step on your life or career path?  When I have those moments (which are quite often), I use Inspired Action.

Inspired Action, to me, is when you allow inspiration to show you the way toward your next choice or goal.  There is no trying or forcing an idea to come to you.  There is not even any research or digging to find an answer.  There is only inspiration.

Inspiration from what you are already reading (in books, magazines and on the web), what you are already watching (videos, Netflix), what you are already talking about (with colleagues, family and friends).

Inspired action can come from your internal sense of “readiness” for something new, some next step on your journey.  You may have heard the term “when the student is ready the teacher will appear”

Here is an example of how I personally have used inspired action.

Several years ago I was on a break from my volunteer board work having just come off a board role of 5 years with a women’s business group.  When I began to have the “itch” to join another board, I had no idea which one.  I did some research, attended some things but nothing felt right.

I chose to stop “trying” to find the next thing and just waited for inspiration to hit.  One day I received an email from a coaching colleague I had not seen in a while inviting me to the next event the group she belonged to was having, just to catch up with her.  When I arrived (it was the Coach Federation Raleigh chapter Cutting Edge Conversation event), I felt immediately “at home” with these people in the room and energized by the conversation we were having.

At the end of the meeting, the colleague that had invited me announced to the group that they were seeking volunteers to join their board.  I knew this was no coincidence and took the inspired action to make this new commitment.  What is interesting about this is that I had attended events from this group in the past, but never felt the desire to join the group, this time was different.

How to take Inspired Action

  • Let go of trying to find answers
  • Live your life, doing things you already enjoy
  • Notice when something catches your attention, sparks your interest or gets you thinking.
  • Pay attention to ease – often inspired action feels easy, sort of like a “no brainer”
  • Take Action.  Once inspiration hits, take a small step forward (or a giant leap).  Depending on what has inspired you, your step may be to have that conversation, research that career OR it could be a full commitment (like my joining the ICF board)

What if inspiration not coming?  You can give it a nudge by

  • Having more conversations.  Invite a friend over you have not seen in a while, throw a party, or attend an event you have been meaning to
  • Start researching something you have had your eye on and see where it leads you
  • Read something out of the ordinary for you.  Could be a book someone recommended, a different magazine at your dentist office, or a blog someone recommended
  • Overall – get out of your comfort zone.  Doing, being and experiencing something slightly (or greatly) different than your norm.

Bring in Joy

A few years ago my word for the year was JOY. I thought about what brought me joy each day and chose activities each day (big and small) that brought more joy into my life. Today as I was walking I realized how much that meant to my days and decided to bring it back.

For me, JOY is a different feeling than gratitude (my topic last month). Joy is like a bubbling up of gleeful energy, an effervescent feeling. Like the bubbles in champagne.

This leads me to thinking about the word ENJOY. I hear this word a lot when talking with my clients about what they want in their career. They will say something like “I want a career I can enjoy” or “I want to enjoy my work every day”.

I then ask the question “what do you enjoy”? And I may hear something like “things that make me happy” See where this is going? Words like “enjoy” and “happy” are vague and do not lead you to choices or action.

If you heard yourself in this example, start to notice your JOYful moments. The more you know specifically what brings you joy, you can then incorporate that into your conversations and choices about what you want for your life and work.

Joy can come from smaller moments – for me….playing with my neighbor’s cute kittens she is fostering, laughing at a funny video or accomplishing a home project.

What are the smaller joyful moments in your days?

Joy can come from bigger/deeper moments or experiences – for me…..seeing my nephews grow into amazing young men, my niece graduate from high school and begin to embark on her next journey, witnessing transformation in the clients I serve or stepping in to a commitment I have made to myself.

What are the bigger/deeper joyful experiences in your life?

When you seek/focus on Joy each day, it helps frame your choices, actions and perspective about your days.   And your days are your life.

What if, each day you asked yourself two questions?

What will I choose to do that will bring me joy today?

What activity or experience brought me joy today?