Finding Your Enough

The word “enough” is a funny one. It has negative uses (like me saying “Enough!” to my girls when they are arguing) and neutral uses (“No more coffee, I have enough”), but I’m more interested in its positive uses. The feeling we get when we look around contentedly and say “I have enough.” 

I think a lot about what it means to have enough and even reworking our definition of enough. We live in a world driven by consumption. Our lives are filled with ads and product placements, things I should want and would make my life easier/better, or things that will make me look younger (I earned these laugh lines, thank you very much). Whenever I mindlessly scroll social media, I remind myself, “If the product is free, you are the product.”

Ultimately, I think about the word enough in terms of financial planning. I have often heard the questions “Are we okay?” and “Do I have enough?” This is where I love Freedom Day’s simple calculation:

Income streams – Expenses (Needs & Wants) = Freedom Day

This calculation empowers us to dictate what our enough is. It’s different for everyone! 

However, I also think about enough for folks still working toward their Freedom Day. The question I am always asking is how can we live well now while also saving for the future. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. And yes, the vast majority of us don’t have unlimited resources (time, money, energy), but what can we do with what we have, and how can that be our version of enough? 

With my girls out of school for the summer, I take more opportunities to think about what enough means to me right now, while I also work & save for my family’s future. For me, enough is being able to fly my girls and me to Minneapolis in June for my dad’s 75th birthday and to see my 91-year-old grandma. (We are very fortunate to have longevity genes on my mom’s side, and I love seeing my girls with their last remaining great-grandparent.) It’s watching the Minnesota Lynx play and listening to my dad rattle off facts about his favorite players. It’s weekend trips to the Farmers Market for fresh berries and pastries. It’s evening strolls around my neighborhood. And, it’s time with my girls.

Instead of asking myself with a slight bit of panic, “Do I have enough?” I like to take a deep breath and ask myself, “What is my enough and how do I have that in this moment?”

Remember, we are here for our partners in all seasons of life. Please reach out to the team or me anytime.

- Courtney