encouragement: you are enough

 

A few months ago, during the lockdown, I wrote a blog post, titled "Pennies from Heaven (with link!)." In it, I talked about coming face to face with all of my insecurities and inadequacies. I was on an inner journey, and it was a pretty bumpy one. At the end, I emerged with the realization that I didn't have to be the best at anything or even be "good enough." I am enough, just as I am right now. 

The same is true for you! You are enough, just as you are. You are enough if you try new things and fail at them. I just looked up FAIL as an acronym and I came up with:

• first attempt in learning
• first action in learning
• flawlessly ascending in life
• forever acquiring important lessons

It could just be that the conditions are not right for success at a particular time. A sailboat doesn't go far without wind. A book without readers just languishes on a shelf. No one looks at a painting that's sitting in a closet, instead of hanging on a wall. If that is so, it is okay to switch to plan B. And this summer, I did exactly that. My education is in journalism, and I have put a lot of effort into my journalism career. I have written many articles about a wide range of topics. I was even the first journalist in Western New York to write about the emerald ash borer, an invasive species of insects that has decimated the ash tree population in this area and many other areas. But from an economic standpoint, my journalism career has been a failure.

Because I know that I am enough, I know that I am not paid anywhere near what I am worth. So... for the summer, I went with plan B. I managed to obtain seasonal employment as a gardener at Buffalo Harbor State Park. And it's been a job that I have thoroughly enjoyed.

People come to the park to do cool stuff like this!

The job is almost over with the end of the season. I don't know what lies ahead for me but I am excited about the possibilities.

You are enough, just as you are. Go ahead and try that something that you've always wanted to do. The thing that you have yet to do because you weren't yet convinced that you were enough. You never know. It could be the thing that makes you happier than you ever thought possible.

a view of downtown Buffalo from Buffalo Harbor
State Park!