Enough Without

Over the years, as I attained success, one of the key strategies I have adopted, and which now has become an integral part of me, is – to Be Enough Without.

What does this actually mean?

Well, when you are in the rat race, then you begin to feel a sense of pressure; it’s actually inevitable. This is the stress and exertion you place on your own mind. In this state, it is very difficult to be creative. Creativity only sparks when you are enjoying the emotional side of your brain and not heavily guarded with logic. Creativity is part of inspiration, enjoyment, ingenuity and emotion. Although both logic and creativity can co-exist, creativity requires freedom from social norms (including business norms) that are a handicap of logic.

To succeed in business, much creativity is required. It would be best if you had this talent to help you make the most of your mental raw materials. It also helps you think outside the box to overcome challenges and develop concepts to help differentiate you from others. Creativity is required to think up new ways of doing the same old, and it helps you remain at the forefront of your vocation.

Unfortunately, your mindset hampers creativity if you don’t keep it in check. The moment a negative thought enters your mind, you may as well say goodbye to all invention and imagination at that moment. And many times, its takes days before you can get back on track. For this reason, you need to stay away from negative thoughts and negative people! Easier said than done, right…I know. But it is a critical aspect of achievement.

One strategy that has helped me to remain creative in my thinking is to adopt the idea that “I am enough without anything else in my life”.

A known theory in Psychology & Economics is Loss Aversion. This states that the “Fear of Loss” is often more powerful than the “Desire of Gain”.

To explain this further, if I fear losing what I have, then I will easily be distracted by negative thoughts, thinking or words. However, if I assume that I came into this world with nothing and that I will leave with nothing, then I only have the in-between journey to make the most of. This way if I lose everything, I will not lose myself, who I am and my intrinsic values. Knowledge is also something that cannot be taken away. Hence, there is much that remains yours for always. These are the things you should compose your life with.

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Although it is human nature to fear losing something, an overall strategy is to work on being satisfied

and grateful for all that you have instead of pining over the greener grass on the other side. Ruminating about what you don’t have or have lost will only take you down a spiral of negativity, making those neural networks more substantial and more dominant.

A better way is to work on filling your life with positive emotions by taking action on only those things that bring you joy. Strengthen and empower yourself with knowledge, skills and values. This alone will attract positivity.

TIP: Write down five activities that fill your heart with joy.

It could be work-related or personal.

Then only focus on those for the next few days.

Wake up thinking of them and go to sleep thinking of them.

See what happens.

When you think in this way, you always remain in a state of creativity and imagination.

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Because you have no Fear of Loss, everything is again.

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This is the idea behind being grateful for things in life which means you will attract what you focus on.

This way, business becomes a sort of play. I’m always saying, “let me try this, and I wonder if I can”. If I don’t succeed at a venture, so be it; I’ll try it another way or try something else. Don’t try to fit into any narrative moulds where you must conform to set ideas. Hence, you strive to succeed and play your “A” game but you don’t let it tear you apart.

Most of the business sits in the grey areas and has its ups and downs; nobody has an entirely smooth ride! But you can cushion the blows with how you think and come out the other end with less damage both mentally and in your business.

I have found this strategy to really help in moving forward. However, it does take practice to consolidate it into a habit. And you have to remind yourself that you will always be Enough Without continuously!