I chose this particular statement because it is something
that I have to remind myself every day. It’s hard to talk about because it is a
deeply personal thing to show someone how your brain works. My brain is always
comparing myself to others, and highlighting my shortcomings.
Let me tell you about the teacher next door to me. She is
the perfect language arts teacher. She is well read, well spoken, and makes
relationships with kids like you wouldn’t believe. She is liked by everyone
including students, teachers, and especially administration. She always seems
to know what to say in a meeting or when I am having a bad day. She never seems
to have a bad day or a bad lesson. She is outgoing and makes any task look
easy.
While this might sound like a jealous rant, it really is
just a collection of thoughts I have about her on a daily basis. I consider her
my best friend and sometimes it is hard to be friends with someone who is so
perfect. These thoughts come to me as an internal dialogue of my shortcomings. I
look at her and wonder why I can’t have the skills she has. Logically, I know
that all of these things are not true. Outside perceptions hardly ever match
reality and I know better than to make assumptions. But my head tells me that
she is perfect and I am not and if I could just be more like her then I would
be better.
In order for me to survive all of these negative thoughts
that I have on a daily basis about myself I have adopted the phrase “I am
enough” as a mantra. I try to remind myself of that you can’t let the negative
thoughts take over. I have a lot of students that struggle with body image
issues or self-confidence and I share with them that I too struggle with these
things. We have to control the dialogue inside of our heads and stop comparing
ourselves with others because it is much easier to point out your own flaws
than point out the flaws of others.
We are enough.
