I Am Enough.

One of my dear friends over at Fabulous Fit Foodie posted a great read this morning as part of Jill Conyer's I Am Enough project. The notion is so simple, but yet we seem to all struggle with the concept of believing that we are, in fact, enough. The idea that we can constantly push our limits, set new goals and take on new challenges is what drives us, but it's so easy to get caught up in constantly pushing ourselves that we fail to recognize and embrace the fact that we are enough now, too.

Stumbling across this project couldn't have come at a better time for me. With 20 pounds left to lose and my wedding looming on the horizon, it's safe to say that I'm struggling just to keep my head above water. I've never considered myself a perfectionist (really, procrastinators at heart can never be perfectionists), but I've always struggled with taking on too much at one time. Leave it up to me to decide that a week before my wedding, I'm going to run a half marathon. A week after my wedding reception, I may run another one. Not only am I planning a destination wedding, I decided to take on a reception back here, too. I agree to host your event, not accept help from anyone else and then clean up afterwards. I decide to run 9 miles before a super busy weekend and then wonder why I'm exhausted. I meal plan, budget, clean (or at least plan to clean), run a thousand miles, walk the dogs, run errands and get ice cream, and then feel overwhelmed when I realize it won't all get done in one night.

More often than not, this leaves me feeling like a total idiot. Of course there are not enough hours in the day, Lauren. You'd think that with my college degree, I'd learn that spinning my wheels so much doesn't always result in optimum productivity. It's easy to be left feeling like I'm not doing enough, like I could push myself more to get it all done - watch one less SVU rerun, run one extra mile, get one more workout in, don't eat the french fries. There's always room for more. This has been the busiest year ever for both Rob and I, and as I constantly plan for what's to come - what I have to do, what needs to happen to get it all done - it's been way too easy for me to forget the now. In an effort to be simple and meaningful all at the same time (we'll see if that's actually possible), here's what I know about myself that makes me enough. In the midst of the craziness that is my life right now, it's important to remember the little things that define me, that make me who I am and push me to be who I want to be in the future.

I am a writer.

I am an animal lover and activist. 

I am a runner and an athlete.

I am a before and after picture.

I am an inspiration.

I am a German chocolate cake lover.

I am a best friend.

I am a horrible singer.

I am an iced coffee addict.

I am a go-with-the-flow bride.

I am a future wife.

I am a cook (a damn good one, according to Rob).

I am a planner.

I am a music lover.

I am a happy hour advocate.

I am a clumsy mess.

I am a homeowner.

I am an animal rescue supporter.

I am avid fan of froyo.

I am also borderline lactose intolerant.

I am a healthy lifestyle advocate.

I am a Zumba enthusiast. 

I am not competitive. At all.

I am a Harry Potter fanatic.

I am an awful example of proper financial budgeting. 

I. Am. Enough.

As these next few months unfold, I'm making it a point to not get caught up in what's going on, and more caught up in who I am, and who the people are around me. I lose touch with who I am as a person as life gets out of control, and it's easy to feel like the things I did or did not accomplish make me more or less of a person. But regardless of whether or not I run the extra 5 miles, the truth is that I will still be an inspiration, and I will still be a German chocolate cake lover. And that's pretty damn enough to me.