It’s remarkable that when the pandemic first hit the U.S. there were many messages in our social channels urging us to use the time in quarantine to improve in some way –– organize our homes, get in shape with online workout classes, cook amazing meals, pick up a new hobby, reconnect with old friends on Zoom, and so on.

Even in this actual worst case scenario of surviving a global pandemic, we still thought we should be doing more.

With societal pressures like this, it makes sense that one of the most common threads of anxiety people face is around doing and being enough. It’s common for successful individuals to wonder – am I doing enough with my life?  For many people, the pandemic has turned the volume and urgency way up on that question.

The answer to this question generally falls into one of two buckets:

Bucket 1: Yes, you’ve got (mostly) everything you want…

…but there are too many distractions that keep you from having time and energy for the things you care about most.

What You Can Do: It might be time to Marie Kondo your schedule. Do a time audit and ask yourself – does it spark joy? If yes, make it a priority and give it the best real estate on your calendar. If it does not spark joy, ask yourself if there is another way the task can be completed without you having to do it.

For example, you might think that you have to pick up your kids from school everyday but the truth is someone other than you could do it. Have you experimented with asking a friend, neighbor, or relative to do it even just once a week?

My sister-in-law recently asked if I could pick up my niece from preschool (a 30 minute time commitment) and let me tell you that little errand MADE. MY. WEEK. Your routine task might be a delight for someone else. Give it a try! 

Bucket 2: Your life is full of commitments that look good on paper…

…but don’t actually fulfill you. You’re not quite sure what you want, so you grasp at many different things, often at the same time.

What You Can Do:  It may sound counterintuitive, but don’t change a thing. When we have fear-based thoughts about our circumstances (i.e. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be happy”), any whiff of change will amp those scarcity thoughts to another level. In order to move forward, we need to take a thoughtful approach that does not activate more fear.

One method is to give your mind permission to help you figure out next steps. Thoughts like “This is the perfect time for me to start learning more about different career paths ” or “I’m becoming a person who knows exactly what they want” help our minds open to more possibilities. Play around with finding a fun, creative thought to jumpstart new ideas!

If you are someone who is haunted by this question of being enough, it’s worth finding the root cause of the anxiety.

Because when you are living a life that is full and purposeful, you’ll seldom ask yourself if you should be doing more. You’ll know who you are and you will be content with how you show up most days. Your schedule will be in alignment with your top priorities. You’ll be inspired by your future plans, and won’t waste energy or time comparing or wondering what else you could be doing. 

The world needs more people like this. So when you’re ready to get to work on being the best version of YOU possible, let’s connect.