‘Your productivity does not define your worth’.
Emily:
I love this phrase but it is something that I have always struggled with. Unless my to-do list is full I instantly feel that I am wasting the time given to me. The whole household at Enough Already HQ gets up at 6:30am every morning to start the day… and yet, at 6 pm when I should feel fulfilled and ready to wind down, I rarely feel that I’ve done enough.
(Ironic I know, considering our business name…)
I feel like this may be the same for many of you also. Whenever I meet up with a friend, one of the first things they always ask is ‘what have you been up to recently’. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I always feel a certain pressure to appear incredibly busy so that they won’t think that I am lazy or uninteresting. I feel an urge to list my recent activities and tasks and sometimes even over-exaggerate them to make myself look and feel better.
While writing this I think I’ve discovered why I do this. My identity for so many years has always been intertwined with academia. But this chapter has finally closed, and I no longer need to continually struggle to define myself by the endless deadlines, lectures and essays to write. Now that I have realised this, I can go on and create new ways to be productive. This business is a literal godsend. I would be lost without it. At last, I won’t need a good grade to feel worthy.
Brené Brown once said: ‘It takes courage to say yes to rest and play in a culture where exhaustion is seen as a status symbol.’ This speaks to my soul. Today’s society requires you to do it all, and very quickly I might add. It is just not possible. Unless you are fainting with weariness you are not worthy to be classed as a human being.
I hope today that we will all be a bit kinder to ourselves. Today's society works hard to make us feel inferior but don't be fooled. You are enough already.
