I make a living helping others to reach greater heights in health and fitness, and as most people discover on their journey, complete health and fitness rarely comes about by merely focusing on the physical aspects of exercise and nutrition.

The emotional, mental and spiritual aspects are critical — if not the actual and necessary points of emphasis – as well.

Relative to this, if a client is struggling with the work they’re doing on the inside, I often get asked, “Will I ever feel like I’m enough?”

(Like I’m doing enough? Satisfied enough? Happy enough?)

And, ironically, those seeking my professional advice for this question think that I both have “the” answer . . . and that I rarely struggle with the concept of “being enough” myself.

Of course, that couldn’t be further from the truth.

I battle with “feeling like I’m enough” almost     every     single     day.

Yes. Almost daily!

People ask me if it’s possible to ever feel like they’re enough . . . and I tell them – convincingly – “YES! Absolutely!!” If you’re experiencing these unsettling feelings it’s almost a guarantee that you can get to a higher level of satisfaction, if for no other reason than you want the feeling to go away!

The thing is, even as you achieve higher levels of awareness/enlightenment, you’re human. You’re still going to face daily challenges to your ego. You’re still going to have your insecurities taunted. Life is going to press your buttons.

As such, “wondering if you’re enough” is a feeling that’s essentially inescapable . . . it is life!

All of us experience it — and will experience it — for the rest of our lives, regardless of who we are and where we are on our journey. It doesn’t matter if we’re just beginning to figure things out, or if we’re the most enlightened, inspirational leaders of our time, guiding others daily from darkness into light.

Feeling like you’re enough; being content with who you are right here, right now; being content with just BE-ING takes practice and work, even when going with the flow becomes much easier for you. Staying ‘awake’, staying in the moment takes diligence!

So, if you’re struggling with feeling like you’re enough; if you wonder if you’re ever going to get to a place of “happy” and “satisfied”, don’t fret . . . you’re not alone.

Some are just more practiced than others — having taken the steps and done the work that is essential to growth and (giving the appearance of) having it all together.

What are those steps? What actions will significantly improve your outlook on life and consistently bring you days of happiness, inner peace and abundance?

Those that more consistently “feel like they’re enough” have done the following:

1. Worked on the inside.  Lasting change and satisfaction comes when you look deep into your heart and work the inside. This is unavoidable because, hey, “wherever you go, there you are” (Thanks Jon Kabat-Zinn). You can rectify and change the relationships with people around you.  You can be in a great work environment. You can get healthier, burn all the excess fat off your body and develop a great physique. If you’re not okay with who you are, you’re going to continue dealing with the same unsettling internal issues that originally bothered you, regardless of what’s changed all around you.  Change has to come from within.  It may be some of the hardest work you ever do, but the rewards are limitless and literally life-giving.

2. LOVED themselves!!! Truth be told, you have to become more than ‘okay’ with you. You have to LOVE you — even if it’s only a little bit each day . . . even if you have a hard time believing it when you do it.  The more you LOVE yourself, the more frequently you’ll feel like you’re enough.  The more frequently you you feel like you’re enough – the more comfortable you’ll be with that feeling . . . and the more consistently you’ll feel it.  Essentially, the feelings derived from loving yourself and “being enough” will feed themselves and will become your “new normal” to an increasingly greater degree.

3. Identified their purpose. Not only do you have to begin LOVING you, but you have to identify your purpose! You have to come to know, to the greatest depth of your being, why you are here . . . and what you want to accomplish relative to that!

Knowing this gives you direction. Your declaration of ‘why you’re here’ and of ‘what you want to do/why you want to do it’ gives you a tangible, bright, laser-like focus as to the direction you’re headed.

Your clearly defined purpose gives you reason to get up in the morning. It fuels you when the going is tough. It inspires you to greater heights when you’re already doing and feeling great. It is the barometer that measures if you’re living up to your own personal expectations. It is the compass that tells you if what you’re doing is taking you where you want to go. (And, the beautiful thing is, once you know your purpose – you can’t ignore it! Sure, you can try and ‘excuse’ your way around it, but you will ALWAYS know if your current beliefs, feelings, actions are helping you live toward your purpose . . . or not.)

Having a declared purpose propels you, every moment of every day, to do all that you can to live up to it. You are unstoppable. You are primed to EXPERIENCE your limitless power in all of its manifestations. You will BE what you dream of — and by default — be happy with who you are. You will experience the quality of “being enough”.

Exactly what you asked for, right?

Get to it!