You are more than enough

A reminder for when the noise gets too loud.

Illustration by Summerizze on Unsplash

I caught myself staring at my to-do list and feeling like a failure because there were still a few things left on it at the end of the day. It’s wild how quickly we let a few unfinished tasks dictate our entire mood and make us feel like we didn’t do enough to justify our time on this planet. I spent so many years believing that my value was tied to how much I could produce or how many people I could impress with my work ethic.

This was especially true when I was younger and felt like I had to overcompensate for my financial situation or my disability by being the hardest worker in every single room. I thought that if I could just outwork everyone else, then nobody would notice the things I was insecure about.

I think we have all been fed this story that we are essentially human capital and that if we aren’t constantly growing or optimizing, then we are somehow falling behind. The truth is that the world is always going to demand more from you, and it will never be the one to tell you that you can finally stop and be satisfied. We have to be the ones to draw that line in the sand for ourselves and decide that our worth is inherent rather than earned through a salary or a title. It’s a hard habit to break when you are used to survival mode because your brain is convinced that stopping means losing everything you worked for.

When I look back at the times I felt most at peace, it was never because I hit a career goal or finished a massive project. It was usually because I was sitting with a friend, taking a walk without my phone, or just existing without a plan for what came next. Those moments are when I feel the most like myself because I’m not trying to be a content creator, or a tech professional, or any other label that society wants to put on me. I’m just Max. And being just Max has to be enough because that’s the only person I can actually be for the rest of my life.

You really are more than enough exactly as you are right now without the extra accolades or the perfect career path. You don’t need to do anything else today to prove that you deserve to be here, and you certainly don’t need to apologize for being human. The pressure to be extraordinary is just another way to keep us from enjoying the ordinary lives we already have. I hope you can find some time today to just be still and remember that your output is the least important thing about you. We’re doing just fine, exactly as we are.

Thanks for reading,
Max