e·nough
/iˈnəf/
determiner & pronoun
- as much or as many as required
We often think of ‘enough’ as being something objective.
You either have enough, or you don’t.
And yet –
Enough money to you might be way more than enough for someone else. The same amount of money might be nowhere near what another considers sufficient to live.
So when we talk about enough being ‘as much or as many as required’, we have to acknowledge the innate subjectivity of how much is required.
And to explore that further, we might start by asking ourselves, ‘What’s it required for?’.
There are situations where enough is fixed. Where it’s a non-negotiable. “Do you have enough money for a flight from New York to London?”. Prices might go up and down, but unless you have a way of completely circumventing the pricing structure, you’re going to need a certain amount. And you’ll either have it or you don’t.
But how about we reframed it?
Why are you going to London in the first place?
Let’s say – because you were planning a memorable family holiday. Did you need to make it London? What would ‘enough’ be in the context of creating a memorable family holiday? Will your kids even be old enough to remember it properly? Would they enjoy spending time together near your home just as much?
Suddenly, by reframing as ‘do you have enough for a memorable family holiday’, the question has changed – and so has the answer.
This blog is my exploration of what it means to think about the concept of ‘enough’. Why? Because understanding your personal ‘enough’ is the path to contentment. It’s not meant to be a preachy ode to minimalism. It’s about working out your own threshold. And perhaps, once you understand it, you can even change your definition. We’ll find out. Together.
Cover photo: Andreas Gursky