I’ll admit it — I’m scared.
The other day, I wrote in my journal:
“I’m afraid that the whole world is stuffed, and I’m the only one who knows it.”
Dramatic, I know.
… But maybe you’ve felt it too?
There’s just… so much.
Cost of living pressures. Global politics. AI, climate change, and extreme weather. Even parenting in the age of smartphones and social media…
It feels harder and harder to know what’s real, what matters, and what we can trust. The 24-hour news cycle alone can be overwhelming — even for those of us who usually like to stay informed.
But here’s the thing I come back to: I know I’m not the only one feeling this.
So many of us are noticing the quiet erosion of basic things — like kindness, respect, compassion, and hope. And while there’s fear and confusion, there are also moments of joy and contentment still within reach. Just on the edges.
And that’s where I find myself stuck.
I’m a doer… and I hate not knowing what to do about all of this.
Should I be doing something?
Can I even do anything?
It’s frightening to feel powerless…
Then, last week, I came across this story in The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel:
“At a party given by a billionaire on Shelter Island, Kurt Vonnegut informs his pal, Joseph Heller, that their host, a hedge fund manager, had made more money in a single day than Heller had earned from his wildly popular novel Catch-22 over its whole history.
Heller responds, “Yes, but I have something he will never have…. enough.”
Read that again…
Enough.
When I sat with this for a while, I realised I have it too.
I have enough.
When I look at the world, I see what Heller saw. Examples of people in power — relentlessly chasing more. More influence. More profit. More space. More time. But to what end?
That’s not me.
That’s not the path I want.
I’m learning to be more like Heller.
More than ever, I’m learning to notice the tiny, perfect moments in my day — the ones that quietly whisper, this is enough.
I’ve even started shifting my “To Do” list to a “Get To Do” list. I give myself 3 or 4 meaningful things to focus on, rather than 13 impossible tasks that leave me feeling like I’ve failed.
And at night, when I look back on what I’ve done, I can feel it.
A sense of peace. Of enough-ness. This is enough.
This isn’t just about gratitude journals and affirmations for me anymore — though they did help me to get here. It is what The Matters Experiment is teaching me — that this practice, this presence, this perspective… it matters.
✨ I am enough.
✨ It is enough.
✨ I have enough.
And you know what I’ve realised?
THAT is the antidote to everything else.
Because when we know what’s enough for us, we stop chasing what doesn’t matter. We stop being pulled by pressure and FOMO. We become quietly defiant in a world obsessed with more.
That’s what we DO.
The more committed we are to what’s enough for us — truly enough — the less power those chasing “never enough” have over us.
This is our quiet defiance.
So, here’s what I’m DO-ing to get past the fear that I’ve been feeling. It’s my birthday this month, and I’ve decided to celebrate by consciously recognising and sharing what enough looks like for me, every day.
If you follow me on Instagram or LinkedIn, you’ll start to see what I mean. Little moments. Tiny shifts. You won’t believe how small something can be that gives me the feeling of enough!
If you want to join in, I’d love that. You don’t need to post anything big or polished. Just start noticing. Maybe share a photo or a story if you feel like it. Tag me at @justlisalb or use the hashtag #IHaveEnough if you want to — or don’t. You can be part of it quietly too.
I think the more of us that live this way, the more we change the tone of what’s “normal.” And that feels like it matters.
PS: More than this month also, if you are on board with the idea of genuinely changing what is ‘normal’ in the world around you, make sure you sign up to The Matters Experiment email list at the bottom of this page. Simply share your name and email for more little things you can DO to be living the life you really want to be living – right now.
Reference:
Housel, M. (2020). The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness. Harriman House Publishing. Pg 32.
