What If You've Been Settling for 'Just Enough'?

The pattern limiting my joy was also limiting my income. 

Last week, I asked you to complete this sentence:

If I didn't feel guilty, I would...

Then I asked you to do it five times.

What I didn't tell you is that this question completely changed the trajectory of my year.

When I started my journey to understand why my income wasn't growing the way I wanted, I assumed I needed a better strategy. More marketing. A better funnel. More hustle.

What I discovered instead was that I had been unconsciously capping my desires.

I didn't realize I was doing it. I would allow myself just enough joy, just enough rest, just enough self-care, and just enough support. But never my full desire.

For example, getting up at 5:00 a.m. to lift weights in my garage? No problem. Taking 90 minutes in the evening to go to a yoga class? Somehow that felt unavailable.

Not because my husband wouldn't support me. Not because I couldn't afford it. Not because there wasn't time.

Because somewhere along the way, I had made an unconscious decision that I wasn't allowed to have that.

A 90-minute yoga class plus driving time? That felt excessive. There was always a long list of more "productive" things I could be doing. More work. More responsibilities. More items to check off the list.

Productivity first. Responsibilities first. My desires could wait.

The interesting thing is that I never consciously decided this. I wasn't walking around telling myself, "You don't deserve yoga." It was much sneakier than that.

I simply assumed that everyone else's needs, the business, the household, and the endless list of responsibilities came first. If there was time left over, then maybe I could do something for myself. And somehow there was never much time left over.

When I completed the exercise, my answers were surprisingly simple:

• I would go to yoga every week.

• I would take self-defense classes.

• I would get a massage once a month.

• I would get a facial once a month.

• I would take a camping trip every four weeks.

When I looked at the list, I had one immediate thought:

Oh, shit.

These weren't extravagant desires. They weren't private jets or luxury vacations. They were ordinary things that would bring me joy, energy, connection, and fulfillment.

And yet I had been denying myself all of them.

What shocked me most was how quiet my desires had become. I had trained myself so well to settle for "just enough" that my true desires were barely a whisper.

Then I had another realization.

If I was only allowing myself just enough joy, just enough support, and just enough abundance in my personal life, why would I expect my income to be any different?

The world is constantly reflecting our beliefs back to us. Even though I had goals of making $500,000, $1,000,000, and beyond, my actions were communicating something very different.

They were communicating that I was available for "just enough."

Just enough time.

Just enough support.

Just enough rest.

Just enough income.

So I made a decision. I said yes to everything on the list.

Not forever.

For 90 days.

And honestly, it wasn't as easy as it sounds.

My nervous system revolted. I felt anxious, crabby, and uncomfortable. Part of me wanted to back out and return to what was familiar.

Because that's what happens when we step beyond the boundaries we've unconsciously created for ourselves. Even when something is good for us, our nervous system often prefers the familiar over the unknown.

But I knew what was happening, so I kept going.

I committed to 90 days because I knew that was enough time for my nervous system to settle. After that, I could decide whether I wanted to continue these activities or let them go.

Something began to shift.

I started taking up more space in my own life. I stopped treating my desires like they were optional.

And within a month, my income tripled.

Not because of yoga.

Not because of massages.

But because I had started changing the deeper belief underneath it all.

The belief that I only needed—or deserved—just enough.

This was the first lesson on my abundance journey, and it was a powerful one.

So go back and look at your answers.

What's one thing on your list that you've been telling yourself you can't have?

What if, for the next 90 days, you said yes?

Disclaimer: I am an educator, not your personal financial advisor. Please make sure to do your own research before moving forward with any actions discussed in this blog post. 

Know that all investments involve some form of risk and there is no guarantee that you will be successful in making, saving, or investing money; nor is there any guarantee that you won't experience any loss when investing. Always remember to make smart decisions and do your own research!