Do You Have Enough?
A few weeks ago, I was talking with a friend from college about investments related to retirement, when his wife asked me whether or not I thought I had enough. A tough question to answer since I am retired, and the previous night we ate at a One Star Micheline Guide Restaurant, and trust me, it was not a cheap meal. Thinking for just a few moments, I responded with, “Yes I have enough, so long as I monitor my outflow, and only eat at Micheline Star Restaurants once every 10 years.”
Even if I tell myself I have enough, I wonder why on earth do I find myself thinking that I really don’t have enough. When we operate from a place of lack — I don’t have enough time, money, love, success — we wire our brains to scan for evidence of that deficit. And the brain, brilliant pattern-finder that it is, finds exactly what it’s looking for. The gap then becomes the whole story.
My buddy then said something incredible regarding having enough, “The secret to having everything is believing that you already do”. Here’s the cruel irony of pure wanting: the more you chase the feeling of having, the further it recedes. You get the promotion and immediately wonder about the next one. You reach the number in your bank account and raise the bar. The finish line keeps moving. The only way out is to practice arriving. To decide, consciously, that this moment, with what I have right now, is already something.
How can we begin to adjust our thinking to realize that we already have everything? Start with gratitude, write down three things that you are grateful for every morning when you wake up. We seem to miss all of the day to day positives. We lose track of the amazing things.
Having everything is not just about your finances, it’s about your whole life and everyone and everything that surrounds you — You have the power to choose. I think it’s probably impossible to actually have everything, but having enough is a choice. It’s about recognizing what you already hold.
Cheers,
Marty