You Are Enough!
And tough!
Written by Jess, Edited by Jenna
I remember the moment so clearly.
We were meeting with our very first cohort of the life coaching groups (Alive), which we started a few years ago at UCLA Anderson. In the very last session, we were experimenting with some group coaching. One student was presenting a poster board she created. It included her values, superpowers, obstacles, and more. She was summarizing what she had learned throughout the 6-week program and what she was still figuring out, including overcoming her own self-doubt.
She was definitely in the hot seat. The group asked her questions to dig deeper. Pushed her a bit. And then as time was winding down, someone asked this powerful question…“What do you want to tell yourself?”
The room was quiet. Silence. With tears in her eyes, the student took a deep breath and clearly exclaimed, “I AM ENOUGH!”. The whole room whooped and hollered and applauded. Goose bumps. Yes! She was enough… and then some!
Since then, I have noticed a trend. This student is not alone. Many students wonder if they are enough. They doubt themselves. Amazing students! Leaders on campus. Those who you think have it all together. Excelling in the classroom. Securing big brand-name jobs. Surrounded by lots of friends. The student everyone wishes they could be.
I now display the above “You are Enough” sign in my office. Everyone walking in can clearly see it. Hopefully, they can start to believe it.
Recently, after a very long, tiring week, I walked into my office. Immediately, I was confused. What happened to the sign? Where did the E and the N go? I chuckled a bit to myself. Kinda fitting for the week I was having. I took a pic. Sent it to my family with the caption, “apparently today I am not enough, just ‘ough’.”
My husband quickly texted back. “Someone swiped the EN? Put a T there!” Ha! I had never thought of that before. But, how very true!
You are ENOUGH. And yes, you are TOUGH. Two different things, but equally true. As Valentine’s Day quickly approaches, give yourself some extra love. You deserve it!
Next steps:
While it can be easy to be hard on ourselves, what more empowering message do you want to tell yourself today?
How are you enough and tough?