Enough is a beautiful thing

Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little.

Epicurus

Did you do enough? Are you enough? Do you have enough? What is enough? Knowing what is enough for you is a beautiful thing. It gives you peace of mind, and in some cases, it helps you to focus.

How to define enough

It can be simple. Enough could be a number. If only you had 4 million euros, that would be enough for you to retire, or wouldn’t it? The issue with numbers is that, in this case, if 4 million is enough, is 3,999 million also enough? It is known as the Sorites Paradox:

This ancient Greek parable talks about the effect one small action can have when repeated repeatedly. One formulation of the paradox goes as follows: Can one coin make a person rich? If you give a person a pile of ten coins, you wouldn’t claim that they are rich. But what if you add another? And another? And another? You must admit that no one can be rich unless one coin can make them so.

What is enough?

Instead of focusing on a number, focus on what you can do (or have done) or how the world looks differently—the more specific, the better. If enough money means you can retire and go on holiday twice a year to your favourite destinations, the number becomes less important. Of course, it is still there, but it is not the focal point.

Were you productive enough today? What does it mean for you? Does it mean you cleaned your to-do list (doing and replanning)? Does it mean you picked your number 1 thing and moved it further? Or did you help a colleague with one of their challenges? Pick something, though do not make it a number (I need to do X tasks).

Define your enough level as something meaningful for yourself and appreciate what you have.