There is a cacophony of voices around me in this world telling me to be thinner, dress trendier, get smarter, speak correctly, think correctly, serve more, do more, be more. Expectations, either real or imagined, pile up and it seems ever more impossible to live up to them all. The more I strive to be what it seems I am expected to be, the more frustrated and exhausted I become. Why is it that just being who I am never seems to be enough?

This question comes to me in times of personal crises when I feel like nothing I attempt will ever succeed, as if I am doomed to failure. At those times the voices yell loudly in my ears telling me I am not only hopeless, but completely worthless, and despair weighs me down. Yet, in those darkest moments, a voice within me whispers, “You are enough.” It sings sweet peace to my soul and the darkness dissolves in the light of truth. Each one of us is unique, each a gift to the world. It is in our individuality that our true beauty and worth shines forth. We do not need to reflect the vision of others to be of value. We only need to let our own light shine forth, unhindered and unafraid.

I don’t know why we seem to do our best to dim each other’s lights, to make them all the same dull quality that barely lights the way forward. If we could accept that each of us shines just a little bit differently and accept the true beauty of all the different lights around us, including our own, we would see how they all work in harmony. The world may tell us how and what to be, but it is by being true to our own inner light that we give the most of ourselves to the world. And in doing so, we will find joy instead of despair.

Remember: You are enough.