During a recent out of town trip, I heard myself saying to my husband – “stay in the middle lane”. I’ve found it a useful approach when driving in unfamiliar places since you limit the impact from people who want to speed as well as from those who want to drive below the speed limit. What I have also found about the middle lane – it is easy to move into an exit lane quickly. In that way, it is a place of balance and a springboard to other options.
I started thinking about “staying in the middle lane” in other areas of life too – such as career – and wondered if the flexibility created by staying in the middle, might also result in lost opportunities. Shortly thereafter, when I was speaking with a friend who is trained in a myriad of different approaches. she was discussing her focus on completing a few more certifications. It led to a discussion about how her current knowledge and capabilities are more than enough to start creating a business. What underlying need do those additional certifications address?
Our conversation felt familiar because I have also worked towards numerous certifications, both out of interest and as part of my transition out of corporate. Those of us who carry the core beliefs of “I am not enough, there is never enough, it is not enough”, can have a tendency to look for ways we can add more to support us in achieving “enoughness”.
I found myself having a similar internal conversation as I was going through my closet to find items to consign. I noticed how many items I had acquired over the years and wondered silently – when do I have enough?
Both these scenarios led me back to looking at “the middle lane” as a place of balance. A middle ground where we realize we are enough, have enough, and know enough. When we arrive at this place, we can utilize all we know, have, and can do as a springboard for a multitude of options.
Areas to consider when finding that middle ground:
- When do we have enough education?
- How many friends are enough?
- What title must we achieve to convey we are enough?
- How many pieces of clothing, purses, shoes, etc. will be enough?
- Is there a limit to the number of degrees and credentials that lead to knowing enough?
If you’ve found your place of balance and enoughness, you have uncovered a wonderful gift. If you are still questioning if you know enough, are smart enough, connected enough, thin enough, rich enough, or any other enough, please contact me to discuss how transformational coaching could support you to step into a place of balance and being enough.
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