It is so very "interesting" that so many are feeling and experiencing all that you have put into these words. I never thought about it as "enough." It's about "opting out." Getting out of the last 10-15 years of being told how to be productive (successful). All the formulas. Whew, I'm tired. Thank you for sharing. This made so much sense. It's a spiritual walk out of the culture.
Thanks for sharing Jeff and truly writing your heart out. I see you. In your vulnerability I feel you too. I’ll meet you at that surrender of enough, living into the questions, into the now of here. 🙏❤️
KISS is my motto for the year as an accessible way to always remember to Keep It Stupid Simple this year.
As artists and sensitive souls we always tend to entangle ourselves and overwhelm the mind in whatever we set out to do, when simple is more often than not the answer forward.
The more I have tried to simplify my life, the easier it is to breathe and do what really matters.
I’m in. Beautiful piece and very relatable. I was just telling a friend that a word/phrase for 2024 is “at ease,” which is relevant to this idea of “enough.” Being at ease with the situation at hand, career wise, financially, health, etc. thank you for this!
Matthew, my word for this year is EASE too! Less striving, pushing, efforting, trying to do all the things. Less chronic overwhelm and exhaustion. Let what I do and what I have be enough, as Jeff says.
Jeff, what you're expressing is very much in line with the most significant book I read last year and that I'm still processing-- "Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals." It led to my newspaper column titled "I've Got All the Time in the Whirl." For years, okay decades, I've been trying to live by Productivity, Effectiveness, and Efficiency and have continuously and unmercifully PEEd on myself. And it has occurred to me that no matter how much I get done, not matter how much I've PEEd, at the end of the day/week/month/year it's never enough. I'm never satisfied. I could've, should've done more. And as I'm getting older and feeling time running out, I've felt the pressure to PEE more each day. But the bar keeps rising and the horizon keeps moving. For me the issue is not about "simplifying my life" but changing my relationship to time and finitude. And I've begun examining and challenging that unhealthy relationship with time and productivity. By no means am I becoming lazy or advocating laziness. I'm pushing back on my prior approach to time (and my measurement of success) which has heretofore been a bucket with a hole in it which no amount of PEE can fill.
My word is EASE. You described exactly how I’ve been feeling at the end of 2023 and in these first weeks of 2024. As a lifelong striver/achiever/perfectionist, allowing myself to just BE and see what arises organically feels uncomfortable--like if I don’t push, I won’t accomplish or have xyz. But it’s fun to bring a spirit of curiosity and experimentation to it: what will happen if I allow myself to live my life with ease? Thanks for this beautiful and inspiring piece.
As a collective, I think we need to start deconstructing this idea that our worth = our productivity, or our "success". Those two things are essentially subjective. I love this article, it resonates with things I'm working through right now too. Thanks for sharing.
I said “enough” in 2020, after seeing how those ahead of me in my career path were no happier than I was first having reached lofty heights.
The pandemic was the nail in the coffin.
It’s been a ride for me since then, as things get whacky when you start wandering from the default path. I guide myself with a hot cup of tea and this mantra, written in stone on a water basin at a Zen temple near Kyoto:
吾唯誰知 (ware tada tare o shiru)
“I alone am enough.”
Looking forward to following along and embracing enough, together.
Jeff, I first discovered you and your work on Kathy Heller’s podcast a few years ago. Happy to find you here on Substack and really appreciate this piece.
Wonderful! You are enough. It’s a tautology really - you’re enough because you can’t be any more so it has to be enough. But you’re right, we’re taught to consider things differently.
With my somatic coach’s hat on I use this phrase ‘you are enough’ as a verbal experiment with clients. See how it resonates in the body and what arises. It’s very revealing! Give it a try on yourself. Let me know what comes up if you like!
I love this so much. This is exactly how I’ve been feeling. Side note: my boss declined my vacation request between Thanksgiving and Christmas. “We must push to Christmas” and we did. And I was sick for 10 days. Yearning for a life where I’m supported in all ways, where I’m not compromising myself for money/job.
It is so very "interesting" that so many are feeling and experiencing all that you have put into these words. I never thought about it as "enough." It's about "opting out." Getting out of the last 10-15 years of being told how to be productive (successful). All the formulas. Whew, I'm tired. Thank you for sharing. This made so much sense. It's a spiritual walk out of the culture.
Yes. Thank you for sharing, Yolanda. I love that you are a reflection of what's on the other side of this madness.
Thanks for sharing Jeff and truly writing your heart out. I see you. In your vulnerability I feel you too. I’ll meet you at that surrender of enough, living into the questions, into the now of here. 🙏❤️
Beyond ideas of right and wrong...
There is a field. I’ll meet you there.
KISS is my motto for the year as an accessible way to always remember to Keep It Stupid Simple this year.
As artists and sensitive souls we always tend to entangle ourselves and overwhelm the mind in whatever we set out to do, when simple is more often than not the answer forward.
The more I have tried to simplify my life, the easier it is to breathe and do what really matters.
Excited to read along 2024!
I’m in. Beautiful piece and very relatable. I was just telling a friend that a word/phrase for 2024 is “at ease,” which is relevant to this idea of “enough.” Being at ease with the situation at hand, career wise, financially, health, etc. thank you for this!
I love that. I've recently thought of it as a more "easeful" way of living. Let it be easy, as one friend of a friend likes to say.
Matthew, my word for this year is EASE too! Less striving, pushing, efforting, trying to do all the things. Less chronic overwhelm and exhaustion. Let what I do and what I have be enough, as Jeff says.
I’m in! Thank you Jeff for sharing this beautiful piece.
Jeff, what you're expressing is very much in line with the most significant book I read last year and that I'm still processing-- "Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals." It led to my newspaper column titled "I've Got All the Time in the Whirl." For years, okay decades, I've been trying to live by Productivity, Effectiveness, and Efficiency and have continuously and unmercifully PEEd on myself. And it has occurred to me that no matter how much I get done, not matter how much I've PEEd, at the end of the day/week/month/year it's never enough. I'm never satisfied. I could've, should've done more. And as I'm getting older and feeling time running out, I've felt the pressure to PEE more each day. But the bar keeps rising and the horizon keeps moving. For me the issue is not about "simplifying my life" but changing my relationship to time and finitude. And I've begun examining and challenging that unhealthy relationship with time and productivity. By no means am I becoming lazy or advocating laziness. I'm pushing back on my prior approach to time (and my measurement of success) which has heretofore been a bucket with a hole in it which no amount of PEE can fill.
LOL. Love the acronym, Ramon. We should grab coffee sometime, since, you know, we're neighbors and everything. ;)
My word is EASE. You described exactly how I’ve been feeling at the end of 2023 and in these first weeks of 2024. As a lifelong striver/achiever/perfectionist, allowing myself to just BE and see what arises organically feels uncomfortable--like if I don’t push, I won’t accomplish or have xyz. But it’s fun to bring a spirit of curiosity and experimentation to it: what will happen if I allow myself to live my life with ease? Thanks for this beautiful and inspiring piece.
I can definitely relate, Jeff. Navigating these waters myself.
As a collective, I think we need to start deconstructing this idea that our worth = our productivity, or our "success". Those two things are essentially subjective. I love this article, it resonates with things I'm working through right now too. Thanks for sharing.
Happy to have stumbled on this post, Jeff.
I said “enough” in 2020, after seeing how those ahead of me in my career path were no happier than I was first having reached lofty heights.
The pandemic was the nail in the coffin.
It’s been a ride for me since then, as things get whacky when you start wandering from the default path. I guide myself with a hot cup of tea and this mantra, written in stone on a water basin at a Zen temple near Kyoto:
吾唯誰知 (ware tada tare o shiru)
“I alone am enough.”
Looking forward to following along and embracing enough, together.
honest.
thk you
Good to see you here, old friend. Hope all is well. Seth shared with me a little of what you're up to lately.
Jeff, I first discovered you and your work on Kathy Heller’s podcast a few years ago. Happy to find you here on Substack and really appreciate this piece.
Thank you, Carey. I checked out your stuff earlier today and really like what you're up to. Glad to reconnect here. :)
Wonderful! You are enough. It’s a tautology really - you’re enough because you can’t be any more so it has to be enough. But you’re right, we’re taught to consider things differently.
With my somatic coach’s hat on I use this phrase ‘you are enough’ as a verbal experiment with clients. See how it resonates in the body and what arises. It’s very revealing! Give it a try on yourself. Let me know what comes up if you like!
Thank you. I'll try it on and see what happens. :)
I love this so much. This is exactly how I’ve been feeling. Side note: my boss declined my vacation request between Thanksgiving and Christmas. “We must push to Christmas” and we did. And I was sick for 10 days. Yearning for a life where I’m supported in all ways, where I’m not compromising myself for money/job.
A friend recently told me, and I hated him for it: "Your life is speaking to you."
Thank you ✨
I’m in
I'm in