How Much Is Really Enough?

One day last week I was updating a close friend about my Presentation Wow Workshop business. After sharing my excitement about this new, non-academic venture, she said, "Well, no matter how much you make, it's never enough."

Let me repeat: no matter how much you make, it's never enough.

That friend had probably said that to me a hundred times over the years, but that was the first time I really heard it. It explained so much about my friend, who can be conservatively called a "high earner," yet she seems to be convinced that she's one small step away from total financial ruin.

And yet there is truth in that affirmation: as soon as you complete one goal, 10 new ones spring up in its place. Part of being human is the permanent desire for creation and growth, only sometimes it looks like insatiable greed.

It's worth reflecting on how to recognize our human tendency to take on new projects one after the other, without accepting the belief that one isn't enough, or never has enough. It takes wisdom to enjoy the status and belongings that one currently possesses, while knowing that it's always possible to work toward making the world a better place.

I doubt that anyone reading this blog is wondering in which dumpster s/he'll find dinner for the family tonight. I don't think any of us are living under a bridge. So, take a look around, see the wealth you already have and enjoy it.

As long as we're on this planet, our lives are unfinished projects. But unfinished doesn't have to mean you're not enough, or you don't have enough.