You’re scrolling on Facebook when you notice your friend’s feed, and the most recent post says, “You are enough.” You may recoil and think to yourself, “blech” what does that even mean? Touchy-feely crap. I am “enough.” Ha! I’ll show you enough.
While exploring the concept of ‘being enough’ may make some folks queasy. Asking the question: How does ‘enough’ translate from our lives to our business? Is it relevant and can help us get to our raison d’etre, our sweet spot, our perfect pitch, our business manifesto? And, what is ‘enough’ for us in planning our life and business goals?
Recently, I was watching a British show on Netflix. The gist is an ‘expert’ who goes around to businesses to help them update their brands and improve business. In one episode, the host walks into a man’s clothing shop and asks the owner about his wares. He explains in one section he has clothing for the “fat bastards” (I am not making this up – he literally says that), in another section he has styles for the “trendy” kids, and in another section, clothes for the businessman.
The owner thinks he’s doing great, but his sales suck, his customer service sucks, and he doesn’t understand why.
From the outside looking in, it seems pretty obvious, that the guy is trying to serve everyone and in doing so, he’s doing a crap job of serving anyone. Plus, he was rude and literally didn’t understand that calling customers fat bastards wasn’t good customer service.
From a business point of view, this guy had no concept of what it meant to be “enough” because he was trying to serve too many potential customers and it was a very disjointed effort.
His problem is not unusual. Think about it. Haven’t you gone into a locally owned business to find it selling too many items that make no sense? Kind of like a gift shop gone wild. You look around and see things you like, but you get confused and leave without making a purchase. Instead, you walk a few doors down to the store that specializes in jeans or shirts or cool shoes and you drop some virtual Benjamins.
In his blog, Paul Jarvis expounds on the idea of being enough. He says, “In order to be more aware of what makes sense for our lives and businesses, we need to be aware of what enough means.”
And, that my friends, depends on who you are. Enough for me may not be enough for you. But, Jarvis explains that it can’t be minimalism for Instagram’s sake. Meaning, that we aren’t truly living in an ‘enough state’ if we are trying to be what we think others want to see.
Let’s not get caught up in the “yeah, but it’s Paul Jarvis.” Cuz, he also states this isn’t about judging others, because if you ain’t got much, it can seem pretty patronizing for someone to tell you to live with less. And, that isn’t what we’re talking about here.
If we go back to the business concept, consider Apple. The company started off building computers. It veered into phones and watches, but still tied to the idea of smaller versions of its computers. It stayed pretty true to itself. The concept was built around one product. The stores make that product shine. And, we as consumers feel we aren’t enough until we have the newest gadget and gizmo they sell. Brilliant.
For you, having the latest gaming system or all the streaming channels may be the thing. For me, I get by with basic cable and Netflix. My enough isn’t yours.
So, if we are truly cognizant of what we want in our business and lives, we need to understand what enough is for us. Not what is enough based on someone’s feed on Instagram, showing them with the Lambo (rented) and fancy clothes (rented) and fancy location (maxed credit card). We need to consider where we, from a truly authentic space, can live enough.
Per Jarvis, “Enough is the antithesis of unchecked growth because growth encourages mindless consumption and enough requires constant questioning and awareness. Enough is when we reach the upper bound of what’s required. Enough revenue means our business is profitable and can support however many employees/freelancers we have, even if it’s just one person. Enough income means we can live our lives with a bit of financial ease, and put something away for later. Enough means our families are fed, have roofs over their heads, and their futures are considered. Enough stuff means we have what we need to live our lives without excess.”
One way to think about enough is to sit back and consider what would be your perfect day. If you were doing what you wanted – no holding back – what would your day look like? Imagine it. Are you really shopping and dropping $1k on a pair of shoes? Maybe, or are you hanging out with someone you love, doing work the way you want, having some food, walking your dog, doing yoga, CrossFit, etc., enjoying dinner, and heading to bed?
If you think about business in the same way, what would your business look like? Would it be like 7-Eleven with Slurpee’s, Slim Jim’s, lottery tickets, and birthday cards? Or, would it look more refined? Because Target and Walmart have a lock on mega shopping experiences. 7-Eleven has a lock on, it’s 4 a.m., and I’m wasted and need crap food.
Consider, how does your idea of equilibrium impact the outcome of your business, your work, and your idea of success.
Most of us would love to be wealthy and that is our guidepost when it comes to the idea of business success. But, when evaluating it from the perspective of “enough” our viewpoint might change if one considers debt load to profit or unsold, stolen, or damaged goods to profit. If you have more debt than cash, are you enough?
“Where things can go awry is when we never consider what enough is as a marker,” Jarvis says. “When this happens, we don’t solve for enough or optimize for it, we just keep going and going with more and more.”
