Am I Doing Enough?

Am I doing enough?

Do you remember when you were a child filled with aspirations and goals, there were so many things you wanted to be, a doctor possibly, or maybe an astronaut or heck! maybe even a princess. Back then these goals or dreams did not cause immense stress but why has that changed? As an 18 year old university student with career this and career that constantly (for lack of a better word) being shoved in my face I continuously ask myself the question, "I am doing enough?"

The Culture of Comparison

These days we live in the culture of comparison, with social media, magazines and entertainment TV at our finger tips there is plenty to compare our own lives too. We constantly see people our age jetting off to islands, writing books and starting business. We begin to ask ourselves, "Why am I not doing that?" or "I have not achieved nearly as much as them?" Let me tell you, this is extremely unhealthy.

Let's think back to when you were a child again, when your best friend succeeded in something they were proud of, you congratulated them and it didn't make you feel less then. Why is it that now, the more others do, the more we feel that we need to do more too. The competition to climb that metaphorical ladder at a young age is stressful and unnecessary.

Perfection is just an Illusion

The glorious travels, the perfect university experience, seemingly perfect boyfriend and a job that doesn't look like work. The perfect photos we see on others social medias is just a small sliver of their real lives. It may be the truth but it is not "the whole truth and nothing but the truth." Let's say one day your friend announces the release of their new book or something like that, it seems like out of the blue everything is going good for them, like the universe is on there side. Little did you know their book faced 10 rejections prior to getting published. If we all didn't only post our highlight reels maybe we wouldn't be so inclined to judge ourselves. The expectations we see just aren't realistic and there is often more work that went into the final product or achievement then is being displayed. Success is often just the tip of the iceberg to a whole body of work.

Thinking Differently

If you genuinely tried then it is impossible to fail. Some opportunities and phases have to pass in order to reach the goal your are destined to achieve. To have a stress free mind it is important to gain awareness of the negative thoughts and the little voice saying, "You're not doing enough right now." Yes it is important to validate your feelings but it is important to remember they will pass, and they are only road blocks, steer around them and keep doing your best.

You Are Doing Enough

You are doing enough right now, your best is your best and that's okay. We all need to learn that pacing yourself is okay, life is not going to run away before you get the chance to live it. Your goals and victories are yours and the end result is worth the journey no matter how long it takes. Remember when you never thought high school would end, newsflash! It came and went. Life will come in chapters and your dream job, life goal, promotion, biggest wish may only be a page away. So do your best everyday, set your goals, appreciate your small victories because you used to dream about where you are now. So yes you are doing enough.