There is also the mentality of some, who, to them, there’s nothing you could do, ever, to be enough for them. That is no slight against you, and you need to remember that.
What a monster. A ferocious, unrelenting, absolute disgusting beast. You know what I am talking about, right? Expectations, or, better yet, unrealistic expectations (which are sometimes actually realistic, but not communicated expectations, but that’s another day).
We often cause ourselves misery by chasing some fleeting goal or thing, some satisfaction that we desire deep inside that, in reality, cannot be solved through acquiring more stuff.
I used to be the guy who thought about a short list of my problems and my own life: family, bills, work, repeat. That’s a miserable way to live. Once I changed my mindset and sort of matured my thinking, I realized that all I was doing was spinning my wheels, I was running but not going anywhere or getting anything accomplished. Isn’t that the reality for many of us, at some point?
But, if we’re not careful, even operating within boundaries, we can get to a point in life where there is no limit on what is “enough.” But, it all goes back to expectations, I suppose. Think about when you apply for a job. They want someone with experience. Right? It’s not always just the experience; sometimes it is where the experience was gained, and not necessarily how long you gained the experience. Learn the lesson and move on! Don’t stand there and keep learning it over, and over!
Here are three quick ways to address the “never enough” mentality:
1. Be Grateful: Think about where you have come from, what you have accomplished, who you have in your life. All the accomplishments, all the stuff, none of it means jack, it’s all about the relationships we had in life. Be thankful, be grateful, love who you have in life. It’s not forever (See Philippians 4:6).
2. Be Generous: If you went to your doctor for an immediate cure for the “never enough” mentality, he would give you a quick prescription of generosity. This would result in your giving time, money, things, words, being generous shifts our mindset and perspective from ourselves to others, and by default, lead to us falling back to point number one( See 1 Timothy 6:6-19).
3. Be Genuine: Most of the time, when we get caught up in having unrealistic expectations for other people or for ourselves, it is because we are living or thinking according to a standard that is not our own. That is not genuine, that is not authentic. Be yourself. Be you. You are good enough. There’s enough fakers, posers, haters, and you, being genuinely you, can change the world.
There are two ends of the “never enough” monster. There’s the end we set, based on our ambition, resulting from either greed, misguided aspirations or plain ignorance. There is also the mentality of some, who, to them, there’s nothing you could do, ever, to be enough for them. That is no slight against you, and you need to remember that. Write that down. If you ever considered getting a tattoo, maybe that should be it: It’s ok if I am not enough for everyone, I can be enough for some, and that is enough for me.
Ultimately, our sufficiency comes from a relationship, dependency, and total trust in Jesus, and realizing we can never be sufficient on our own (2 Corinthians 3:5).
Quick Reference:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;” (Philippians 4:6 NKJV).
“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,” (2 Corinthians 3:5 NKJV).
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Scripture References from BibleGateway.com
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