The feeling of not being good enough at times is universal. Not only do I struggle with it but also many of my friends do. However, most people that you meet on the street don’t admit that they suffer from these feelings. I have a friend, Michael, who is amazing. He doesn’t even know how amazing he is, and telling him so doesn’t change his opinion of himself. He struggles with the feeling of not being good enough. Don’t we all struggle with this? Aren’t there times we have a low opinion of ourselves despite evidence to the contrary? And thus, we feel less than and not good enough.
The feeling of not being good enough is universal. It is why we need to find a spiritual answer. There is no “one size fits all” to this answer. Some find it in religion. Others find it in art and creative expression. Still others find their answers in spiritual retreats and group settings. Whatever our spiritual solution is, we have to concede that we are Seeking God because we are not God.
The ways we find God may differ but the feeling of needing God is universal.
I wrote a blog post about how I struggle with being good enough here http://rabbicosnowsky.com/how-to-be-zen-through-the-struggle-with-being-vs-doing/
I have watched my friend Michael come into his own. He has overcome multiple obstacles – the main one being – he gets in his own way. I have told him this often. For some reason, he never gets angry at me for telling him this truth. We are mirror images of one another! Our symptoms of spiritual malaise are very different but, like me, he is a spiritual seeker. He too is searching for a direction and an answer to the problem of how to live life to the highest potential we can.
My friend shares similar issues. Maybe that’s why I like him so much – he’s a lot like me (but in male form!). We have found ourselves in similar life situations. We were exhausted when our children were younger. We simultaneously went through burnout and breakdown. He emerged triumphant and put his life in order. To make sense of his experiences, he started a podcast. At first he was doing it just for fun but it turned out to resonate with a lot of people.
On his podcasts, he shares his struggles with life and emotions. He has found the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous to be helpful even though he is not an alcoholic. At first I thought it was odd – why would anyone have a spiritual discipline for a disease they didn’t have? Then I realized, I eat a diabetic-friendly diet. I stay away from sugar and excessive carbs although I am not a diabetic. It’s good for my overall health and helps me feel better about myself. That’s why my friend works the Steps. It just helps him feel better about life.
I’ve watched him struggle. I’ve seen his growth. Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, he’s still testing his wings. It’s a beautiful sight to behold. A few years ago, I introduced him to a few of my spiritual teachers. I try to share what I’ve learned in life through this blog. Now he does the same through his podcasts.
One of my favorite of his podcasts is about finding an alternative treatment for depression. You can find the link to his podcast here: An Alternative Treatment for Depression http://mlslcsw.libsyn.com/size/5/?search=alternative
Here’s another where he shares his perspective about divorce: http://mlslcsw.libsyn.com/size/5/?search=gift+of+divorce
He has many other awesome podcasts on his site. If you get to know him, you will agree he’s a diamond in the rough. I encourage you to discover him for yourself.
