I AM More Than Enough

By Ilana Jankowitz.

There’s nothing more fragile, yet more powerful, than self-esteem. It’s how we value ourselves and show up in the world, and it’s also one of the great dichotomies of the human experience. 

When our self-esteem is high, we feel confident and unstoppable; we set about achieving our goals with certainty that we can do whatever we put our minds to. But, when it gets knocked down and is low, we have a whole host of feelings that have us believing that we’re not good enough, capable enough or even worthy enough of having anything. 

At either end of the spectrum, our self-esteem affects every area of our lives, from relationships to career, and even to our money! 

Your inner child is calling the shots

The crazy thing though, is that we allow so much of this fragile yet powerful piece of who we are, this thing that shows up with the words I AM attached to it, to be dictated to us from the experiences we had as children. 

Our parents tell us to stop showing off. Stop being conceited. Stop bragging when we did something well or something we’re proud of. This kind of messaging impacts us and leaves an impression on who we believe ourselves to be. 

Take back your power

The reality though is that you are not your past and, unless you continue to give it power, your past cannot control you. 

Changing your sense of worth is absolutely something you have the power to do. Right now!

A strong sense of worth, self-esteem and inner confidence heavily influences your choices in life. It helps you to create healthy boundaries and live life to the fullest. When we truly believe in ourselves, we can achieve anything we desire. 

Knowing you are good enough, in fact knowing you are MORE than good enough, comes from within through the words you affirm to yourself. It’s therefore your responsibility to speak positive words about yourself and your life.

Empower yourself with your words

Have you ever stopped and really paid attention to the words you use about yourself? Chances are, if you’re anything like the vast majority of the people on this planet, you speak to yourself in a way you wouldn’t dream of speaking to anyone else. And definitely not to someone you love! 

The truth is, your subconscious will never make you a liar, which is why the words I AM are two of the most powerful you will ever use. Whatever starts with an I AM is what your mind will believe you to be.

‘I am so stupid.’ ‘I am really ugly.’ ‘I am a completely irrelevant waste of space.’ ‘I am unlovable.’ These are some of the harsh things we say to ourselves. Why do we judge and belittle ourselves in this way?! 

Building self-esteem and confidence comes from changing your narrative and you can do this with positive affirmations such as:

• I am caring
• I am kind
• I am beautiful 
• I am enough
• I am loved
• I am confident 
• I am abundant
• I am resilient.

Pay attention 

It’s so important to be aware of what we’re saying to ourselves and how much ‘shoulding’ and ‘coulding’ we’re doing. Perpetuating a negative cycle of thinking just crushes our self-esteem, which in turn crushes our confidence.

When negative thoughts come in, replace them with a positive affirmation. For example, instead of, ‘I am stupid, and I always make so many mistakes’, replace it with, ‘What have I learned from this experience and how can I make it better next time?’

It takes time and training to shift our habitual negative thinking over to positive. That’s why it’s extremely important to forgive ourselves for mistakes and heal from the hurts. Without forgiveness we hold onto the drama and repeat it over and over. 

I like to look at it this way; the longest relationship you’ll ever have is with yourself! So, why wouldn’t you make that the most loving, happy, and joyful relationship you have? And yes, absolutely nurturing that relationship includes things like having a long soak in a bubble bath and taking time for yourself, but really these are just the frills.

True self-care and self-love are about so much more than that. It’s about the way you speak to yourself, the way you show up for yourself and the boundaries and values you live your life by. It’s about telling yourself and showing yourself that you ARE enough. 

If you’re ready to change your I AM story to one that serves your life and your business in every way, I invite you to join me for my upcoming 5-day I AM program – click here for all the details.

 Ilana Jankowitz is a certified Money Coach born and raised in South Africa and currently residing in Zurich. Her work is all about identifying behavioural patterns around money, transforming negative thinking and moving from a self-destructive mindset to one that is positive and inspiring.

She is passionate about helping women to break free from self-doubt, low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence and move towards financial liberation and she can help you too with her free money quiz.  You can read all about Ilana and her work here or on any of my social pages Facebook | LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube