I’ve struggled with the feeling that I am not good enough. Haven’t we all?
Sometimes, we live in this place of not good enough. We assume that place as our identity, and we believe that “not good enough” is who we were destined to be. Yet, this is never the case.
Eventually, we will realize that we, and our flaws, mistakes, and imperfections, are more than enough, and always have been. Here are 27 hand-picked, inspiring quotes to help you to realize how “enough” you really are.
1. “You’ve been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.”
– Louise Hay
I remind myself of this quote so often, because my mind likes to trick me into believing that I need to beat myself up for every imperfection, or else I’ll screw up even more, and end up sad, mediocre, and alone.
After years of self-judgment, I’m beginning to realize that this is simply not true.
I ask myself, what has self-criticism given me? Tears, frustration, and stagnation. When I berate myself, it becomes even harder for me to do anything– I’ve had plenty of nights and days where I laid in bed alone all day, unable to even find help for myself.
In short, self-criticism deflates your spirit, and defeats you before you even begin. It is not “motivating” like the tyrant in your head assumes it is. What will truly motivate you is self-love, approval, and acceptance. Try approving of yourself, even if it’s hard at first, and discover how much more you have to give.
2. “Perfection is shallow, unreal, and fatally uninteresting.”
– Anne Lamott
If you think that you have to be perfect for people to like you, think again. Imperfection conveys vulnerability, and true vulnerability is something people can relate to. Plus, no one ever changed the world by following all of society’s rules. No one ever made a difference by trying to be “perfect”. The world doesn’t need perfection – the world needs you.
3. “Oftentimes the wrong helps us find the right.”
– anonymous
Don’t beat yourself up for staying in the wrong relationship or the wrong job for too long. Now you know exactly what you don’t want. Similarly, each time you make a mistake, you learn more easily.
If you never made a mistake or went the wrong way, how would you ever learn what is right for you, and what you truly want?
4. “If you love someone, the greatest gift you can give them is your presence.”
– Thich Nhat Hanh
This quote helps me when I feel I haven’t given enough to others. In other words, I feel I should do so much more as a friend, sister, daughter, girlfriend, and so on and so on. I should be more caring, I should be there more often, I am never doing enough.
Imagine this: you are enough for all of the people you love, just by existing. You don’t have to try to be a good friend. You only have to be present with those you love. See them, hear them, and let them see how happy they make you. That’s all they need.
Also Read: 25 Thich Nhat Hanh Quotes On Self Love (Very Deep And Insightful)
5. “You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress, simultaneously.”
– Sophia Bush
So, you’re not where you want to be. You’re also not where you used to be. This quote reminds me to give myself credit for every victory, even the minuscule ones!
Don’t think that you can’t allow yourself to be happy or celebrate until you’re perfect, or until you’re “good enough”, or until you “get there”. You’re already there, even if you’ve got a long way to go. You’re a masterpiece.
6. “And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”
– John Steinbeck
Once again, when you’re trying so desperately to be perfect (without realizing that you already are), you’ll feel constantly defeated. Why? Because no accomplishment is ever enough for the bully in your brain. When you live life by these rules, you can never win.
Yet, when you stop trying to be perfect, something amazing happens– you realize how perfect you already are, imperfections and all. It might sound far off, but one day, you’ll realize that everyone has imperfections. Not just you. And that you are good, no matter where you’re at in life.
7. “If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.”
– Maya Angelou
“Normal” is an illusion. Everyone defines “normal” differently. You are not normal, because normal doesn’t, and shouldn’t, exist. All of those flaws that you believe rob you of your normality are really the unique fingerprint of your soul.
When you try to be “normal” and fit yourself into someone else’s predefined boxes, you erase your own beautiful collage of talents, and you silence your own unique voice. When you drop the idea of “normal”, you can be whatever you were born into this body to be– because no one has ever been you before.
8. “Whatever arises, love that.”
– Matt Kahn
This quote is actually the name of Matt Kahn’s book, one which has helped me tremendously. What he means by this simple statement is that, in short, everything we do and everything we are is only here to be loved.
Every imperfection, every thought, every feeling, and even the feeling that we cannot love ourselves – it’s all here to be loved, and the only one who can truly give us the love we deserve, is ourselves.
9. “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
– Edward Everett Hale
You really need not be good at everything. Nobody is. All you need to do is find out the few things that you enjoy doing and focus on that. Every little bit counts and the only thing that matters is to get started.
10. “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
When you are too focused on the external, you fail to notice what you have within. There is immense power that lies within you. All you have to do is have belief in yourself and this power will work for you.
11. “Focus on what you can do instead of what you cannot do.”
Take a moment to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses. Use them as guidelines to decide what you want to do in life. David defeated Goliath because he played by his strengths. He did not go there to physically fight with Goliath ’cause he knew he was physically weaker in comparison. Instead, he used a slingshot, which he was an expert at using, to win the fight.
12. “At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.”
– Lao Tzu
Once you find out who you are and what your true life purpose is, you will no longer have the feeling of not being good enough. The root cause of this feeling is a lack of self awareness. So spend time with yourself, get to know and understand yourself.
Always remember that you don’t need to follow others. You are a unique being with a unique purpose.
13. “The opinion which other people have of you is their problem, not yours.”
– Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
Do not gauge your self-worth based on other people’s opinion of you. It doesn’t matter and doesn’t make an iota of a difference what they think of you. The only thing that matters is what you think of yourself. So become conscious of your own beliefs.
14. “I think of life as a good book. The further you get into it, the more it begins to make sense.”
– Rabbi Harold S. Kushner
If life doesn’t make sense right now, do not fret. Have patience and you will soon start to see the answers appear as you keep going forward, slowly yet steadily, one step at a time.
15. “If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.”
– Meister Eckhart
Look around you and you will realize that there is so much to be thankful for. Shift your energy to gratitude and watch your entire vibration change.
16. “The simplest questions are the most profound. Where were you born? Where is your home? Where are you going? What are you doing? Think about these once in a while and watch your answers change.”
– Richard Bach
Spend time with yourself in self-reflection. Get to know and understand yourself. You are unique and don’t need to be like others. You don’t need to follow the herd. Find your own path and follow your own self.
17. “You’re never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true.”
– Richard Bach
You have the power within to bring anything you desire to reality. Instead of focusing on things that you do not have, shift your focus to the things you have and you will be amazed that you have so much. You will also discover so many new aspects of your personality that were previously hidden. The only thing it takes is a change of perspective.
18. “You are good enough as you are. You have nothing to prove to anybody.”
Realize that you don’t need to prove anything to anyone or live up to anyone’s expectations. You are enough as you are at this moment.
19. “Have patience with all things, But, first of all with yourself.”
– Francis de Sales
Everything has a time and place in life. Have patience and all that you desire will get fulfilled with time.
20. “Do not be disheartened by your imperfections, but always rise up with fresh courage.”
– St. Frances de Sales
No one is perfect. Everyone has their own set of imperfections/limitations. So quit worrying about that and instead focus your energy on finding your strengths and even your imperfections will become your greatest weapons.
21. “I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.”
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a friend in the world. As long as you are your own best friend, you are good to go. You will attract all the right people in your life as long as you stay true to yourself.
22. “It’s not my responsibility to be beautiful. I’m not alive for that purpose. My existence is not about how desirable you find me.”
– Warsan Shire
You are not here to live up to someone else’s expectations. You are here for you. Learn to love and accept yourself a 100% and you will start to see your whole world transform.
23. “When you’re different, sometimes you don’t see the millions of people who accept you for what you are. All you notice is the person who doesn’t.”
– Jodi Picoult
Being different is the greatest gift ever. Own it completely. Let go of the pretense, be yourself and you will attract all the good that life has to offer.
24. “The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.”
― Michel de Montaigne
This beautiful quote is a reminder that you need to be self compassionate toward your own self. As already mentioned in this article, you need to become your own best friend. And for that, you need to spend time in self reflection to understand yourself. This is the single biggest thing that has helped me and I am sure it will help you too.
25. “Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.”
― M. Scott Peck
This is so true. We are here for a limited time. Do not waste your time focusing on limiting thoughts. Shift your focus to things you find uplifting and the right inspiration will come your way.
26. “If you do not respect your own wishes, no one else will. You will simply attract people who disrespect you as much as you do.”
– Vironika Tugaleva
You need to develop compassion toward your own self. Become your own best friend. Stay conscious and reverse negative self talk into positive, uplifting talk. Once you start doing this, you will start to see the reality around you change.
27. “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.”
– Norman Vincent Peale
You have all it takes to create the life of your dreams. When you have belief in yourself, there is nothing that you cannot achieve.
Whenever I feel inadequate, these are the quotes I turn to for inspiration and they always help me raise my vibration. If these quotes helped you, make a mental note of the ones that resonated with you and think of them whenever you are feeling down and need some inspiration.
