Six letters but one big word that everyone struggles with: enough. Am I good enough? Am I pretty enough? Enough with these questions, because I am here to tell you that you are enough.
I’ve struggled a lot with this word, whether it's getting a mediocre grade or not having that cute boy like me back. Is the B good enough? Am I enough to catch that boy’s eye? Who cares. Receiving a B is enough. I’m more than enough for any boy – if he doesn’t like me back, that’s too bad for him, because he’s missing out. We’re constantly putting the blame on ourselves for what other people have thought -- just because we’re not good enough for them, are we good enough for anyone? You are. Whether it's struggling at work, wondering if all your hard efforts are enough, struggling to decide if your looks will be noticed, or if you'll catch that boys eye – all of it, everything that you are doing, everything that you are, and everything you work for, is enough.
But who am I to tell you that you are enough? I’m that girl that was you. Constantly living in fear of the six-letter word, enough. We may not know each other – you don’t know me, I don’t know you – but let me tell you, you are not alone in the struggle of being enough. I’ve lived it and I’ve learned it.
Your work that you are doing, whether it's homework, studying for finals, or at your job, is being noticed. Don't doubt the work you do; it is beyond hardworking, and if someone hasn't noticed yet, they will. What you are doing is enough! Don't ever forget. Don't give up.
We struggle not being pretty enough for the boy but also struggle not being pretty enough for society. These days people are fantasizing about how fiercely flawless Beyonce or Jennifer Lopez is. We're constantly saying things like “Body Goals” or thinking, “I’ll never be as pretty as J.Lo and Queen B.” Hey! I’ve said these things, I’m envious of how awesome they look, but I’ve come to realize that what we see isn’t really how they look behind closed doors.
The media wants us to see their Photoshop and airbrushing skills (don’t get me wrong, J.Lo and Queen B., I will always bow down to you), but come on, we in this day and age need to learn that we’re just as good enough as them. We’re just not in the public eye for all to see our beauty.
Sure, we all have and are going to have those nights where we lie in bed late and night, unable to sleep, with tears running down our faces, wondering why we weren’t blessed enough to be able to have a perfect life, perfect significant other, perfect body, perfect face, perfect grades, etc. Occasionally I’ll have nights like these myself. There was just a night in December where I was scrolling through social media and came across a tweet from the CW Network when the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was on; one of the tweets was something along the lines of "Don't you wish you looked just like one of our runway models?" I was disgusted. No. I don't. I would rather go to McDonald's and eat 25 cheeseburgers before I ever looked like one of them.
I am beautiful without having to look like one of them. As I lay in bed thinking about this tweet, I realized that I was enough. Fat, Skinny, Black, White, Short, or Tall. We are all enough. I should get "enough" tattooed on my forehead to remind everyone of this.
So, when you’re feeling down and feeling as though you are not perfect, just know: Everyone is perfect, you are beautiful, and you will get that boy. You are enough.
