menu_open Columnists
We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

The Power of Choosing Enough Over Chasing Everything

47 0
27.08.2026

What Does "Self Help" Mean?

Take our Self-Esteem Test

Find a therapist near me

Wanting more isn’t the problem; needing more to feel enough can be.

Choosing enough isn’t settling, giving up, or becoming less ambitious.

Enough is a decision we get to make for ourselves, for the season we’re in.

Maybe enough and being content with enough isn't where ambition ends. Maybe it's where desperation finally ends.

That's something I wrote in a journal entry this time last year.

At the time, I was noticing this pattern in almost every area of my life, both personally and professionally. I'd accomplish something, and for a moment, it felt like the answer. Then, I'd realize it didn't bring the lasting fulfillment I'd hoped for.

I was thinking about all the ways I was chasing the next thing, and I realized I needed to ask myself: When is enough, enough? And how often are we moving the finish line without even realizing it?

Why More Feels Like the Default

It can feel like there is always more to accomplish, more to earn, more to improve, more to give, and more to become. Part of this is just about how we're wired. We're designed to be in a place where we're adapting, striving, and seeing if there is a better or different way of looking after ourselves. There's also something called hedonic adaptation that psychologists talk about. It happens when we work toward something, we get it, and for a while it feels wonderful. Then it becomes our new normal, and the feeling fades. The job, the relationship, the material thing, or the milestone that was supposed to be the answer to everything turns out to be one good, meaningful thing........

© Psychology Today