Right where you are, you are enough. Yes – right where you are, you are enough.
Often times I get caught up in wanting to be better and to excel at everything I do and am involved in. It always get to the point of a meltdown because I feel like I am not where I want to be at all. If I fail at one thing, I end up thinking about everything else that I am not the best at, as well. It seems to be a never ending cycle. What I am learning now is not necessarily contentment, but instead – acceptance of myself in where I am at. Maybe some of you can relate.
Alright, I am going to get super real with you all here – one of my biggest stresses this semester is my online biology class. This class is one of those classes that you have to take in order to get your degree… my favorite kind of class…NOT. It has been six years since I have taken biology in high school and to be honest, it wasn’t my favorite class then either. What really gets me worked up about this class is the work load. It is in my top three classes in these four years when it comes to heaviest work load. We have to do anywhere from 2-3 weeks worth of assignments in just one week. It’s really hard for me to keep up, because I don’t have 9+ hours to give to the work. I get frustrated and discouraged about it so easily and the fact that it’s bothering me this much stresses me out even more. It has been driving me up a wall.
*deep breath, long sighhhh*
Well, I finally got to the point of where I actually averaged out what assignments I have to do and don’t have to do to still get a 70 in the class. Sure, that can sound ridiculous and irresponsible of me, and some of you might even think that I need to change my attitude…but let me continue.
I was talking with a lady the other day explaining my stresses of this class and I told her that I didn’t necessarily want to settle at a 70, but that that’s all the time and energy that I have for that one class. Her response was, “that’s okay!” She continued on saying that it’s okay to not be 100% at everything because that’s something we’ll never achieve. We need to focus our time and energy to the things that are of importance to us so we can continue to grow and achieve in those areas. In order to do that though, we have to make compromises in other areas – and that’s okay; there are such things as good compromises.
After she took the time to remind me of these simple things, I started to feel better and more at ease at where I am at. I started thinking about everything I am passionate about and how much I was giving of myself to those areas, and I was actually very encouraged. I realized that what is most important to me now is what I am truly focusing on, and that is exactly where I want and need to be. I will never reach 100% at everything I am giving my attention to, but it is my goal to try as hard as I can to always be investing in the things that matter most to me.
But right where I am, I am enough. Yes – right where I am, I am enough.
Some simple reminders that we don’t hear enough:
* It is okay to not excel at everything *
* Focus your energy on what is of high priority to you *
* Don’t let others sway what you feel is right in your heart *
* Accept yourself where you’re at now and not where you think you should be *
It can be hard for us to accept the fact that we can’t be 100% at everything we do. Most of us want to give everything our best and when we think of our best we automatically jump to – it has to be 100%, but that’s not true. It’s something for you to think about. Set some time aside to think about where you’re currently focusing your attention and your stresses to. I am sure it will open your eyes to a lot more than you think – I know it did for me!
Let me know in a comment if these reminders were of help or encouragement to you!
I want to hear your stories. Hold fast & take heart, friends!
