Why do we feel like we don’t have enough?


What would happen if we stopped focusing on what we don’t have enough of and starting living in a place of sufficiency?

This was a topic explored in one of Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations with guest Lynne Twist, a well-known author who explores our relationship to money in her book “The Soul of Money” and it’s one that really got me thinking. She talked a lot about what she calls “the toxic myth of scarcity,” a condition of thinking that creates a deficit relationship with ourselves by constantly feeling like we don’t have enough, and she wasn’t just talking about money…

Perhaps you wake up and feel like you didn’t have enough sleep, or while you’re getting ready, you don’t feel like you have enough time. And then there’s not having enough clothing, enough vacation time, enough success, enough Instagram followers, enough sex, enough love, etc.

This resonated with me. I am very grateful for all that I have, but I do often start my day feeling like I didn’t have enough sleep, like there isn’t enough time and am always working towards more. But why? For what? This type of thinking is something I personally want to work on. Instead of having thoughts about not enough, I’d like to work on changing my approach to thoughts of gratitude—thoughts of having enough.

Who else is up for trying this with me?

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8 comments

  1. Love this.

    I’ve been tracking my daily habits and writing down 5 things I’m grateful for every day in my bullet journal. I find that on the days when I’m feeling less than grateful and like I don’t have enough, are also the days where I’m feeling more stressed or tired than usual, or I’m ill, or I haven’t been taking care of the wellness basics (sleep, diet, and exercise).

  2. I love this post. I too, find myself always not having enough… I often forget to be thankful for what I do have. Definitely going to try working on that from now on. Thank you!

  3. I really relate to this, Geri.

    We have SO much to appreciate, but often choose to focus on the areas we feel are lacking instead. Social media is partially to blame, but the ideas of “keeping up with the Jones’s”and always striving for more has been around for decades!

    I’d love to follow along (and hopefully participate as well) on your journey to the place of “enough” and “gratitude”.

  4. As humans we have a natural desire to have more for ourselves and the ones we love. I feel that I want more all the time but I try to focus on getting more of non-material things like respect, trust and overall happiness. In doing so I have found that I have achieved just what I have been looking for. By striving to be a better person, the other things just seem to happen on their own. Just a thought, best of luck to all!

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