What Do the Root Cause of Gun Violence and its Solution Have in Common? One Word: ENOUGH

Banner design a collaboration of Laurie McCammon, Ann Smith and her grandson Sacha

It’s on everyone’s lips these days: Why do such horrible mass shootings keep happening? What can we do about it?  

We assume that fixing the world has to be overwhelmingly complex, otherwise we would have fixed it by now.  Too much damage has been done.  We don’t have enough time, money, will, or genius to change the mega trends destroying our world. Humans aren’t capable of changing or rallying together fast enough.  But what if these are only true because we insist on focusing on symptoms rather than on root cause?  

Through three years of research for my book, Enough!  I discovered that humanity’s skewed orientation toward the word “enough” was responsible at a hidden root cause level for most of what we do not want, including scarcity itself.  Here’s what I learned:

                 1.       Even when we use the word “enough” we are more likely to actually
                experience feelings of deficit associated with “never enough.”  

Enough is such a commonly used word that it has an effect on every aspect our lives, whether our self-concept (Am I enough?), relationships (Does he love me enough?), career (There are never enough jobs.), money (How do I get enough, have enough or keep enough?), business, education, politics, and so on.  Our current global culture reinforces the idea that there is not enough and we are not enough – ever.  If we were perceiving “enough” evenly, the word would just as likely generate feelings and actions associated with satisfaction and abundance as fear and lack.  What we tend to see culturally, however, is that scarcity mentality has become an overarching lens of lack through which we interpret the entire world, including ourselves.   We perceive a world in which we are under constant threat of either not having enough or of losing what little we do have.  If we chase to its root each social ill whether terrorism, gun violence, economic insecurity, addiction, climate change, disease, corruption or debt, I believe we find an underlying core belief that we are not enough and do not have enough  - and never will.

2.        Never Enough physiologically distorts our ability to perceive accurately, selecting for the least sophisticated behaviors available to us.  

Never Enough has a cascade effect on our emotions and behaviors: anger that breeds violence; fear and stress that disempower us; deep insecurity and paranoia that lead to greed, aggression, revenge and tribalism.  It is not a far leap to see how any of these paths could lead to gun violence. 

Brain science tells us that when we feel we are under imminent threat, we tend to revert to the most primitive, "reptilian"parts of the brain, the brain stem and cerebellum which are responsible for quick, and usually polarized decision-making and actions known as “fight or flight.”   We become susceptible to leaders who offer simplistic answers and either-or arguments to further polarize people and issues.  When in scarcity mode, we are less likely to access the more sophisticated reasoning capabilities of the neocortex.  We are fooled into thinking that fast and decisive action are better at ensuring our safety than careful consideration, negotiation, fact-finding, collaboration and listening.   

But the neocortex is what distinguishes us as human.  It is responsible for language, abstract thought, imagination, and consciousness.  We should be highly suspicious of any cultural norm  which causes us to be less than we truly are – less curious, less conscious, less imaginative, less in control of our destinies.  Anything that halts consciousness cannot be part of a viable future.  

3.       Enough is the cure to eliminating every social ill.

What surprised me most while researching for the book was that the shift from Never Enough to Enough is already abundantly evidenced in our world,  in the sharing economy, green solutions, technological advances, new sciences, and in spiritual and storytelling wisdom traditions from all over the world.  You start to notice how a belief in Enough leads to better outcomes: innovation, healing, connection, peace, understanding, compassion, creativity, engagement, genius, resilience and yes, even joy.  Whereas the idea of Never Enough causes us to feel fearful, we become more open, trusting, alive and daring when we believe we are enough.  We ask more questions and seek to understand complexity and nuance. We grow in compassion and wisdom.  We feel compelled to speak up for truth and justice. We occupy our more of our brains and hearts, and by doing so, become bigger and more powerful than we have ever been.

4.        Humanity is the last to know the universe is telling an “Enough” Story.

What does the nature of Earth and the universe have to tell us about Enough and Never Enough?  No creature, no living being or system has ever prevailed by adopting a Never Enough strategy.  Every ecosystem we know of is instead an intimately interdependent delivery system of Enough for all, forever.  I take this to mean that humans, as part of nature, are actually Enough creatures by design. Our DNA contains instructions for how to co-create an Enough world.  We’ve simply forgotten.  We’ve spent too many generations locked in the reptilian brain, too used to the norms, rules and structures that have kept us tightly focused on scarcity, devoid of heart and connection. In such a culture, the anguish which would allow a human being to commit mass murder indicates alienation from one’s own divine enoughness.  

The symbol of the anti-gun movement is the hashtag  #ENOUGH.  Let’s make sure we consciously shift the rage, blame and indignation inherent in the old version of  “Enough is enough!” into the more empowering  “We are enough!” and “We have enough!” of today.  Enough attracts and creates enough while a “war against” always engages us in more war.    I vote for a world in which we and future generations know we are enough, where we feel seen and know we are precious and essential, where we no longer need to hurt others in order to assuage our own deep hurt.  

How about you? Do you see the connections between enough as a root cause and a solution? Share your stories on my Facebook or Twitter. 

To learn more about Laurie McCammon's upcoming book (April, 2016), Enough! How to Liberate Yourself and Remake the World with Just One Word, go to www.LaurieMcCammon.com

How to Liberate Yourself and Remake the World with Just One Word ( in 5 simple steps)

We've internalized a "Never enough" culture:
Never good enough

Never smart enough

Never attractive enough

Never successful enough

Never rich enough

Never powerful enough

Never safe enough

Notice the fear, shame, hurt and longing contained within these seven common beliefs. Now multiply that by thousands and think about what that does to your spirit on a nearly constant basis.

We're constantly told there isn't enough to go around:

Never enough jobs

Never enough food

Never enough security

Never enough natural resources

Never enough oil

Now imagine what kinds of actions "seem" justified when it "appears" that our need for enough is either under threat or not being met. Imagine the violence, the jealously, the separation, resentment, anger and fear. Imagine the war, exploitation, hoarding and mistrust generated by a single belief of not having enough. Think about the ways we have been lured into horrible deals and trade-offs because of these beliefs - bank bailouts, GMO's, pesticides, fracking, strip mining, wars, dirty energy.

But if we apply a broader, truer lens to reality, we see that "never enough" is not inevitable in nature at all. It is a story we believe and therefore perpetuate on the planet with our choices. But it doesn't have to be this way at all. Enough has always been in our reach. In fact, it is written into our DNA and is present in the patterns and systems that have sustained the entire universe for billions of years. Enough ways of thinking and doing are organically being reclaimed as humanity's consciousness expands past learned ideas and habits that have kept us from seeing the whole or balanced picture and aligning with it. Enough is showing up as permaculture, the sharing economy, unity consciousness, new science and new technology, indigenous wisdom and feminine empowerment. As we embrace these truer versions of who we are and what the world is, old power structures based on Never Enough myths naturally lose their power to contain or control us. The expansion of consciousness cannot be stopped. The hard truths and abuses behind the never Enough facade can no longer be hidden from view. Our hearts are remembering we are and have always been enough to generate Enough. Enough is not a feel good fantasy or hopeful vision. We are not hopeless optimists, but we, who are reclaiming the Enough truth, are humanity's best hope. Enough is the most practical path to human survival and resiliency.

What is naturally emerging is an Enough future where we realize our inherent enoughness and joyfully participate in ensuring enough for ourselves, enough for our community and enough for Earth.

We step into our collective adulthood as co-creators of Enough for all.

The greatest thing? Shifting your life and the world at the same time is simple. It is the very same instruction for everyone on earth: shifting the way you orient yourself toward one single word: Enough.

Here is the Enough Shift in Five Easy Steps:

1. Each time you encounter the word "enough," ask yourself if you are assuming Enough is the truth or "never enough" is the truth. Notice: are you feeling sufficiency or scarcity?

2. Bring consciousness to the effect this one word (enough) has on what you have chosen to do or not do, to believe or not believe in this present context. Has a belief in scarcity made certain responses more likely, routine or habitual?

3. Ask yourself, "What if Enough is the actual truth and scarcity is a myth?"

4. Ask yourself, "What would I do or choose if I believed there was and I was Enough?"

5. Take action aligned with a belief in Enough and see how different your life and the world becomes, one decision at a time. 
 

When you truly embrace the Enough shift within you, here are examples of the types of results you can expect:

You will start to notice the word Enough more, giving you more opportunities to challenge scarcity myths in everyday life.  

You will notice how the belief in lack feels like fear in your body and holds you back from making decisions that are actually in your best interest.

You will experience more freedom and spontaneity as you move out of "fight or flight" mentality and into a more reasoned, mature and expansive lens.

You will feel more optimistic, happy and lighter. By the law of attraction, the amount of time you spend believing in Enough rather than Never Enough will determine your ability to generate enough for you and your family.

You will find codependent patterns and other disempowering relationship patterns less attractive. As a result of not playing old, stuck scripts, you will experience more peace and alignment with your purpose and passion. You will model healthy relating for others.

Your inner critic will become less powerful. As a result, you become more resilient to criticism and pessimism from others.

Knowledge is power. From an Enough perspective, you start to notice patterns that are in place that are designed to disempower people. You become much more aware of the scarcity myths all around you and will have more strength and awareness to avoid them.

You will feel less anxiety, fear and worry, freeing up energy and aliveness for what you do want.

You will feel more tender and compassionate towards Earth and all living creatures, and the illusion of separation and loneliness will fade. Your ability to feel oneness will accelerate.

You will trust yourself more and therefore will project more self-confidence in the world. You will take more risks and speak out more. You will be taken more seriously by others.

You will not fear vulnerability because you will naturally trust your own resilience and your own ability to magnetize enough.

It will be easier to identify and connect with others who are moving into Enough Consciousness, and together you will naturally build new Enough structures, organizations and communities.

You will become a systems thinker, noticing how science, spirituality, indigenous wisdom and new technologies contain the same core messages for what is true and where we are heading as a more conscious and mature species. Seeing these patterns, you can move with confidence into alignment with the most abundant throughline of evolution.

Try it out! Then share your stories on my Facebook or Twitter. 
To learn more about Laurie McCammon's upcoming book (April, 2016), Enough! How to Liberate Yourself and Remake the World with Just One Word, go to www.LaurieMcCammon.com

Refuge or Refuse? Which Will it Be? The U.S. Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis

News of brutal terrorist acts demands an inner reckoning within each and every one of us.  Will you double down on fear or double down on compassion?  Is your heart opening up or closing down? 
   

I remember this feeling well from 9/11, the numbing effect of initial shock.  As we emerge from it this time, what action will we take?   Will we respond from a sense of fear or compassion?  How will our governments respond?  After the 9/11 attacks, a universal feeling of goodwill and compassion swept across the world.  I remember being completely baffled how quickly our government squandered that good will by rushing into war with Iraq.  I feel now as I did then that we are too quick to assuage our fear and pain by inflicting fear and pain on others, even when “others” turn out not even to be the ones who are directly responsible.  Iraq and 9/11, we were told, were linked.  We know now that was not the case.   

As I watch the evolving coverage of the Paris attacks, once again it seems we are being nudged into making what I believe is another false association between two concurrent issues  – the Syrian refugee crisis and the Paris attacks.  It is as if by combining two crises, we can tie a neat little bow around them and get rid of the fear and uncertainty generated by both at the same time.  (Convenient idea, but again, not the truth.)  I investigated more about the refugees, who they are, why they are fleeing Syria, and find it is laughingly implausible that they would pose a threat to our homeland. Half of them are children, for one thing.  (See links to several supporting articles at the end of this blog.)  The numbers and the facts simply do not support the assertion that the refugees are laced with terrorists.  Is it even remotely likely that traumatized refugees who have lost everything and who have endured unspeakable hardship for weeks or months on end would have the will or even the energy for anything beyond scrounging for the basics of life such as food and shelter? I find it highly suspicious that a supposed Syrian passport found at one of the Paris attack sites indicates some kind of link.  It is akin to the elusive “weapons of mass destruction” – used falsely as justification for extreme self-protectionism. 

The problem is, it seems we are so eager to get rid of our psychological pain that we are apt to accept the first simplistic explanation and “solution” in order to feel some sense of relief.  I shudder to think of how many lives – including those of our service men and women and their families – were negatively and permanently impacted by the decision to go into Iraq. (Not to mention the destruction of neighborhoods and the taking of innocent Iraqi lives.)  Going into Iraq seems to me a classic example of addictive behavior − dealing with psychological pain by distracting ourselves.  In other words, “Do something, anything.  I don’t care what! Just don’t go deeply into the pain.” Apparently “doing something” in revenge was psychologically more appealing than taking our time to collect facts and deal with our deep grief.   Tired of mourning?  Wage war.  Depressed?  Have another drink. Feeling hopeless?  Go shopping.  

Since 9/11, we’ve heard the same familiar drumbeat of ramping up the violence in response to a variety of issues including school shootings.  The solution to violence, we’re told, is more violence. The solution to mass murders is more guns; bombs require more bombs.  When will we wake up and realize that we have been drawn into a game which has no other possible outcome than the escalation of violence and suffering? Do we really want to live in a hyper-militarized police state?  

When fear overtakes us it has a dumbing-down effect on our minds and a stress-inducing effect on our bodies, and this makes us vulnerable to simplistic and extreme solutions.   We default to the reptilian brain, discarding subtleties, interconnections and long-term implications, becoming distrusting, impatient and paranoid.  Fear makes us act out impulsively and isolates us from one another emotionally.  Fear ignites a fight or flight response.  Brain science has confirmed that fight or flight is a characteristically masculine response to crisis.  The feminine response, on the other hand, is to tend and befriend.  In a perfect world, our response as a nation would neither be skewed to the masculine nor the feminine, but would combine attributes of both approaches.  And I think this is why, as a woman, I sorely feel the absence of balance in the responses that are being chosen by many of our government officials thus far.   Over 50% of the governors of our United States have chosen a flight response  – declaring that they will refuse to admit Syrian refugees into their states.  Several presidential candidates are advocating fight – more bombs, more attacks on supposed ISIS strongholds. Fight or flight, they have walled off their hearts from the greatest and most powerful and transformative of human qualities – compassion, charity, love, community and kindness. The best of our human strengths, the very attributes which allow us to connect and overcome any crisis together, are not welcome when we choose fight or flight.  We become, in my estimation, less than human; less than whole.

When we make the more courageous choice to dare to open our hearts in time of crisis, we reclaim the wholeness of who we are.  Just because we are in our full hearts does not mean we discard using our brains to discern, defend and protect. The idealism and supposed naiveté of the heart is often used as an argument against responding with compassion and charity in difficult and dangerous times.  But I would argue that the exact opposite is true.  We cannot ever fight fire with fire without ingesting fire.  We cannot respond like our enemy and not become more like our enemy.  Compassion and charity are what define our virtue. We are made more secure when we extend to others the kindness we ourselves would want to receive.  It plays into the narrative of terrorists if Americans reject Syrian refugees.  It adds to the feeling of alienation, shame, and rejection that fuel resentment and hatred.   

To get off the perpetual treadmill of war, I believe we must do something radically different and more bold than ever before.  We must be more loving, more generous, more daringly open, more trusting.  We choose compassion not for the sake of defying evil or proving the enemy wrong, but because when we look deep within ourselves, we realize that the deepest part of who we are is merciful, compassionate and loving. Compassion heals and unites.  It is the stark beauty of an open heart against the dark backdrop of hatred and fear which can and will lead us from the darkness and into the light.

There are those that would say what I describe would make us appear vulnerable and weak.  But would it really?  Isn’t weakness succumbing to fear rather than facing it and being our truest selves anyway?  Haven’t we already lost our freedom when our responses are informed by projections of worse case scenarios and exaggerated risks?  There are no guarantees in life. Life is not inherently safe.   We will all experience some kind of suffering in our lifetimes.  But it is love and compassion that make life worth living, that make suffering bearable, that provide nourishment and replenishment to rise above the difficult times. If we do not fight to cultivate this sustenance, we risk becoming weakened shells of ourselves. This leaves me nothing but to conclude that fear and hatred are the true “foreigners” we should be shutting out of our country and hearts.    

So, instead of walls of red tape for refugees - homes, food, warm blankets, kindness, community. Instead of spewing hatred, doubt, division and retribution – let’s deeply listen to one another to explore our common humanity.  I have faith in our common humanity; trust in the unity that underlies our differences.  It is up to each of us to claim the kind of world we want to live in.  Bombings and shootings are the end product of lifetimes of man-made alienation, shame, resentment and fear, lifetimes of fight or flight responses that find no end.  We may not be able to undo it for those who find themselves so bereft of heart that they become terrorists.   But I do know that the more of us who choose love and compassion, the quicker we spread the kind of world any human being would be happy to live in.  Love evokes a very different response – gratitude, connection, trust, reciprocity, paying it forward. This is the kind of country and world I would be proud to live in.  I am pretty certain that Lady Liberty would feel the same.

Laurie McCammon, MSAEd is the author of the upcoming book published by Conari Press, Enough! How to Liberate Yourself and Remake the World with Just One Word

Laurie's Website:  https://www.lauriemccammon.com

Laurie's FB:  https://www.facebook.com/EnoughLiberateRemake

Laurie's Twitter: https://twitter.com/EnoughMessage

Links to information about the Syrian Refugee Crisis and Paris Attacks: 

What you need to know: Crisis in Syria, refugees, and the impact on children

An overview of the Syria refugee crisis, its impact on children, and how you can help.

November 3, 2015 | By World Vision staff

http://www.worldvision.org/news-stories-videos/syria-war-refugee-crisis

PolitiFact Sheet: 5 questions about Syrian refugees by Lauren Carroll, Linda Qiu on Thursday, November 19th, 2015 at 2:14 p.m.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2015/nov/19/politifact-sheet-5-questions-about-syrian-refugees/

Huffington Post These Groups Have An Idea To Help Syrian Refugees: Let People Sponsor Them It's Working in Canada.  Elise Foley  10/27/15

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/syrian-refugee-resettlement_562fc4a1e4b0c66bae59c4c3

These Reactions To The Paris Attacks Will Inspire You -  People Around The World Are Restoring Our Faith in Humanity. Alexandra Ma Editorial Fellow, The Huffington Post Posted: 11/16/2015 01:40 PM EST | Edited: 11/16/2015 02:46 PM EST

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/paris-attacks-inspiring-reactions_5649fcbae4b060377349e486

New York Times Opinion Pages The Farce Awakens Paul Krugman Paul Krugman NOV. 20,2015

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/20/opinion/republican-refugee-panic-fits-a-pattern.html?rref=opinion&module=Ribbon&version=context&region=Header&action=click&contentCollection=Opinion&pgtype=Blogs&_r=0

Who Will Lead the Next Revolution? 5 Reasons I Believe It Will Be the Introverts

Me recharging in Boynton Canyon, Sedona

I’m a bit over half way through Susan Cain’s best-selling book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Won't Stop Talking.  Besides being an introvert myself, my primary interest in reading it was to learn more about the connection between introverts and the acceleration of consciousness. I had already suspected a strong connection, one which essentially reverses the cultural bias from the bold to the humble and from an ethic of “the survival of the fittest” to one of “Together we rise!”

 

Here is what I've learned so far:

1.       Introverts are less reward-motivated than extroverts, focused more on inner motivations and satisfactions.  Therefore, we can expect that an extroverted-leaning culture would be a more consumerist culture, seeking external rewards and using up more of Earth’s resources as they seek those external rewards.  (And this is what we see in the USA.) This suggests that it is likely that introverts hold the key to how to cultivate an inner sense of satisfaction or “enoughness,” leading to buying and using less of Earth’s resources.  Practices such as mindfulness and Thai Chi  are examples of how to cultivate a sense of satiety and peace with oneself and the world.

2.       Introverts often feel overstimulated by our fast-paced, information-rich, plugged in society and need more solitude and quiet in order to integrate and recharge themselves.  This may seem like a liability, but actually it is a strength in disguise.  Introverts tend to process external stimuli in more detail than extroverts.  This level of detail adds to the "overload" they experience as compared to extroverts. Processing so much data may take longer but produces different and often deeper insights. But in a time when most of our crises are not sudden or simple (climate disruption for example) we need more introverts willing to delve deep into the complexities and details. 

3.       Introverts inherently make more connections between data. Whenever a problem is complex, requires deep listening, concentrated focus, blending of data, collective action and attention to subtle clues, (and most of our biggest problems today are)  it is shown that introverts are better qualified for the job. Extroverts hold the advantage when fast decision-making and bold action are required.  Brain science confirms that extroverts rely more heavily on activity of the amygdala (the reptilian brain) from which quick and bold decisions are made (fight or flight) than do introverts.  Introverts register more brain activity in the neocortex where associations between data are noted and considered.    

4.       In the Enough book I describe the limitless abundance humanity is discovering as we explore the subtle within us and all around us. Whether it is technology, new sciences or the practice of mindfulness, the innovative frontier is focused on the territory well beyond what can be sensed with our five senses, areas such as vibration, the zero point field and the collective consciousness.  In this, introverts have the advantage because they are naturally wired to notice and prefer to dwell in the subtle. As a result, finding the hidden abundance in the subtle will presumably come rather naturally for them.  

5.       Introversion and extroversion are partially culturally learned. Cultural norms, economic rewards and social cues are keyed to what a culture values most.    In Asia, introversion and humility is highly valued and therefore rewarded, while in Europe and the United States, the opposite is true.  Susan Cain describes how the culture of the extrovert on Wall Street created a very dangerous snowball effect, selecting for extroverts while eliminating more cautious introverts again and again, gradually increasing bold and risky action until the crash of 2008.  Warren Buffet, a consummate introvert, saw this coming and profited from the 2008 crash.  

It seems to me that the bold-bias Susan has observed among the cultural, educational and economic elite enclaves of the west is representative of what I call The “Never Enough” Story, a story which has been on the rise for thousands of years and may have reached its height.  Bold and loud, busy, excess-oriented and reward-seeking could certainly describe this trajectory. And so could stressful, cutthroat, unequal, greedy, exploitive, disconnected, lonely, narcissistic, extractive and short-sighted. Fortunately, a rebalancing between introvert and extrovert, inner and outer, me and we is happening under names such as the sharing economy, community currency, new economics, permaculture, divine feminine spirituality, resilience hubs, transition towns, Occupy and the commons movement. Many of these are led by people we would traditionally consider quiet. But their willingness to be seen and heard and to gather in increasing numbers to push for change is a sign of a huge sea change.   

I see this as a planetary pivot from the extremes of excess and bold back towards the center - the middle way of moderation and discernment.  All of this is to say if you are an introvert, this is a time to be proud of it and to step forward out of your comfort zone to share your gifts more boldly.  Quiet is powerful.   And if you are an extrovert, perhaps this is a time to slow down, listen more, attune to your inner world and to learn what it is you have not been seeing or feeling with as much discernment and clarity as you would like.

Several of the people I love and admire most in this world are extroverts, and I believe part of why they are so attractive to me is that they have qualities I'd like to learn to develop more within myself. Perhaps at first, I was satisfied to have them "complete me" but as time has gone on, I've realized a more empowered view is that they are teachers for how I might empower myself to be more balanced and whole unto myself. As an introvert, this means to trust myself more, to take more risks and to speak out when I have strong convictions or possibly useful ideas no one else has spoken yet.

I believe we are heading to a time of more wholeness, interconnection and fuller consciousness. What this requires of all of us, whether introvert, extrovert or somewhere in between, is a willingness to step out of our patterns and comfort zones to incorporate some of the opposite within us. When we become more whole, we are realizing untapped enoughness within and all around us. We are rebalancing ourselves and the world. And this can and should be enough to change the world. 

How about you?  

Are you an introvert?  Do you feel an inner calling at this time to step forward in a bolder way?       

Are you an extrovert?  Are you experiencing a growing need for solitude and rest? 

Tell me your Enough Story!   www.LaurieMcCammon.com                 

               

Laurie is the author of the upcoming book (April, 2016 - Conari Press) Enough!  How to Liberate Yourself and Remake the World with Just One Word

Owning Your Story as A Path to Enoughness

Is the path leading out or in? 

Story is a really powerful thing. Most of us know it can entertain, create commitment, mend fences, and even spark a movement.  But do many of us know that the simple act of writing our own story can be life-changing?

My only child is currently engaged in the age old right of passage of writing his college entrance essay - three little paragraphs that seemingly hold sway over so much. But as his writing-coach mom, I have been struck by something else about the process.  Regardless of the practical results of his essay, the act of writing and claiming one's story is a profound moment in a person's life.  It is a moment of answering, "Who am I?  What is my value? What do I want?  Am I enough?"

When we write our story, we are thick in the act of meaning-making.  It is as if we broaden the lens  from being the experiencer to also becoming the observer, from character on the screen to also being the audience in the seats of the theater.  As observers, we could interpret our role as central characters in so many ways - as victims,  heroes, teachers or learners. And depending on the lens we choose, our stories look and feel very different.

I have come to believe that a need for meaning-making is something inherent to us all.  We've all been taught the hero story, one which begins with a call to adventure, presents one or more problems to be solved, and a conclusion where either we solve the problems or we gain a new valuable insight about ourselves.

All too often, though,  the standard story line is one of good versus evil, right versus wrong, winners versus losers. But real life is rarely, if ever, that simple or absolute.  Our stories are imperfect, our victories incomplete. Our most satisfying and heartbreaking  moments come because we have put aside that stark "otherness" and dare to connect in what Rumi referred to as "the field" "beyond rightness and wrongness." The alternative to meeting in that field is isolation, stagnation. 

I think we are being challenged in these confusing times to claim our deepest stories amid the loudness and roar of all the fleeting outer stories, and to claim them as empowering, meaningful "enough stories." When was the moment we realized we were enough to make a difference? When did we step out of patterns of powerlessness, blame or shame to feel our precious, one-of-a-kind spirits shining through?

Reading my son's story about himself has been a very moving experience for me. Some of the greatest privileges in my seventeen years as a parent have been our sacred conversations when I've remembered to reflect back to him his precious "enough story" until he could clearly see himself.

Everyone knows from direct experience that the most powerful stories ever told are ones not crafted in this complex and fleeting web of "have to's" "should's," winners and losers,  but those which connect to something much deeper and more universal and enduring   -  the heart. Yet I don't think that young people of any generation have ever been so challenged to be and do so much at a young age.  It is so easy for them to doubt themselves and lose themselves in the complexity of expectation, convention and nuance that is heaped upon them.  If for no other reason, I think it is imperative that we get in touch with our own enough stories so we can help our children to affirm theirs.
 
To claim our enough story is to remember again who we truly are; to remember what we love and why we have come; to affirm that we are and in fact always have been enough to be perfectly who we are. To do this is to claim for ourselves and for the world a greater sense of peace, liberation, self-acceptance and purpose.  In my opinion, nothing could be more powerful - and meaning-full - than that.

How about you?

When was the moment you realized you are enough to make a difference?

When did you step out of old patterns of powerlessness, blame or shame to feel your precious, one-of-a-kind spirit shining through? 

You can find our more about Laurie or her book, Enough!  How to Liberate Yourself and Remake the World with Just One Word at www.theenoughmessage.com  

Laurie writes another monthly blog, Wisdom From the Circle, sharing the themes that arise in her women's circle each month. 

Ten Ways to Be an Enough Pioneer

For those of you who know my story, skip ahead to the next paragraph.  For those who don't, here it is in a nutshell:  The book is a result of a "divine download" I received back in 2011:  "I am enough.  I have enough.  We are enough. We have enough.  Enough!"   Being the researcher and "sciency" person that I am, I began an investigation to confirm that this message could be the  truth.  The research took me into the diverse realms of quantum physics, evolutionary biology, cutting edge technology as well as into the heart of feminine and indigenous wisdom, budding social movements, archetypal mythology and systems theory - the overarching patterns present in nature herself. I was searching for evidence that the truth of us, the truth of the entire universe, is that we are enough and have enough, and that scarcity is a man-made story that can be changed. I found so much more than that.  I found that the Enough Story is already arising, and that it is inevitable and unstoppable. The evidence that confirmed this assertion is contained in my book,Enough!  How to Liberate Yourself and Remake the World with Just One Word.   It has been an amazing journey to write this book, not without personal initiations as I learn to fine tune how to more fully embody the Enough Message.  But so, too, I must admit that it has been a journey that has been green-lighted by grace in many ways that I never,ever expected (like finding a publisher on my first try without a literary agent and the beautiful book cover.)  I believe this is because the Enough Message is not about me and doesn't belong to me (I affirm this in the book) but that Enough is on the tip of the tongues of millions of people who are waking up right now from the planetary myth of lack. My aim is to affirm what people already know and to report what they find as they adopt this more accurate worldview about the world we live in.   I want to encourage people to trust their knowing rather than to go on feeding the "never enough" illusion that causes so much deep suffering and separation. The end result of trusting one's enoughness and nature's teachings about enough is empowerment. Action. Community. Healing. Creativity. Transformation. Compassion. Belonging. Meaning. Inner and outer peace. Well-being.  I have experienced all of these in my life and want to be part of integrating them into our collective planetary culture.  
      

Why the Enougher Community Needs You Right Now:   

As you probably have heard recently in the news, the book industry is in chaos.  It has never been more flooded with titles.  Questionable tactics are being employed to provide paid reviews and momentary best seller status for a fee, making it harder than ever for the consumer to determine which reviews are authentic and which books are truly worth their time and money. Most challenging for a first-time author, most consumers will not bother to find out more about a book if there appears to be no prior interest in it. The most authentic and honest way to eliminate uncertainty and to establish credibility is to establish a visible community  - real people who authentically share an interest in the book's message.     

You have a powerful role to play.  You are the early pioneers of the Enough work and can use your leadership abilities to help many people. I cannot do this without you. 
    

Ten ways  to participate as pioneers of Enough:

Some of these will literally take less than a minute of your time. Pick one - or more.  I would be deeply grateful for whatever you choose to do. 


1. Join my mailing list. (two quick fields: name + email) You can unsubscribe at any time.
Click here for signup form:
http://eepurl.com/bCSLPH 

2. Are you on Facebook?  "Like" me on Facebook.  I have three pages you can "like."
Click on these and press the "like" button:
 https://www.facebook.com/EnoughLiberateRemake  https://www.facebook.com/laurie.mccammon.author   https://www.facebook.com/wisdomfromthecircle

3. Are you on Twitter?  Follow me on Twitter
https://twitter.com/EnoughMessage

4. Subscribe to and comment on my blogs.  I LOVE comments!  I have two blogs:
http://theenoughmessage.blogspot.com/http://wisdomfromthecircle.blogspot.com/

5.  Write a one or two sentence endorsement of me or my Enough work, which I will immediately post on my website. Please let me know if I can include your name and the name of an organization or business you represent.   It doesn't have to be anything over the top. It is better - more authentic -  if it isn't.  Just something that says to a potential reader that I am trustworthy and have something of substance to offer them.  Send your endorsement statement here.  Here are a few samples:

Endorsements of the Enough work:  
"I've found the Enough work to be very beneficial.  Now every time I hear myself say 'I'm not enough' I catch myself and realize it is not the truth of who I am. I am enough, and that's such a liberating and empowering belief."  

"Laurie has opened my eyes to all the hidden abundance all around me and even within me.  She shows me what is possible when I believe I am enough and I have enough to change my life -  and therefore to change the world." 

"In the book, Laurie asks when, in the time between our birth and now, we lost our enoughness. That was an ah-ha moment for me.  I realized that Never Enough was a story I had ingested, and not an unchangeable reality. Since its a story, I can change it!"

"Enough is not another self-help formula.  It is, instead, the underlying truth that penetrates every aspect of life in the cosmos from quantum to cosmic.  As such, Enough offers an easier path to change than self help.  It offers a path of maximum grace, ease and synergy because we are consciously joining a universal flow. We can relax into Enough, knowing we have the wisest, most loving partners always with us - nature and our collective base human nature!" 

Endorsements of Laurie as a coach, speaker, leader or writer:
"I've found Laurie to be an attentive and compassionate listener. She asks questions that get to the heart of the issue and seems to find a way to lovingly mirror back the best of me."

"As an environmental activist, I struggle with exhaustion and hopelessness.  There seems to be so much to do and I don't feel enough to make a dent in any of it.   Laurie helped me to realize there's an alternative way to engage in activism, one oriented towards what we want rather than fighting what we don't.  As a result, my activism is starting to feel more joyful and enlivening."

"Laurie is a leader in the wisdom circle movement and her background is in transformative education, so she doesn't just spout ideas from the lectern.  She knows how to connect people essence to essence.  She sits with us, deeply listens to our heart wisdom, shares from her heart and knowledge base, to be able to weave our stories together in to a totally new, generative group wisdom."

"Laurie is an unusual blend of scientist and mystic, concrete and intuitive, yin and yang, head and heart. By pivoting between the two realms, she gives us a sense of  divine wholeness and encourages us to embrace our own divine wholeness."

6.  If you are willing to write an independent book review (short paragraph) for Amazon or Goodreads in the future, I would be happy to send you a copy of the book when it comes out in early 2016.  Let me know if you'd like to be a reviewer.    

7. "Retweet" and "Share" my social media posts with friends and colleagues you feel would be interested. I have been working very hard to curate useful, positive and meaningful content on all my social media sites. My intention is to be seen as a primary source for this kind of inspirational content.  I do not spam or exhaust people with sales pitches ever.

8.  If you live in the Portland, Maine area, ask me to come speak to or facilitate a circle for your group, church, book club,school, business, etc. about Enough. (Or refer me.) I need to practice public speaking and come very cheap for now (free!)  I LOVE to assist with fundraisers for local nonprofits by giving keynotes and when the book is out, sharing book revenues at the event with the hosting organization.

9.  Engage with me and the Enougher community on Facebook and Twitter. Comment.  Share your ideas and experiences.  How is the Enough Message impacting you and how you think and feel?  What part of the book was most helpful? What was most challenging?  What other news items, organizations or projects  have you found that relate to or corroborate Enough?

10.  Do you have a blog, Facebook group, radio show, newsletter or e-zine?  I would love to provide high quality content for you.  I'm happy to be interviewed or to write a guest blog, article or post tailored to your audience that gives them concrete value. I have high quality audio and video capability if you'd like me to record something you can post on your website or social media.   

Again, I am truly grateful.  The book is only the very beginning seed of what is possible for us as a community of synergistic planetary change agents.  I look forward to a long, mutually beneficial relationship with you. Please keep in touch. I love hearing your stories.  
Thanks so very much!
   

With loving gratitude,
Laurie McCammon, MS 

You can find our more about Laurie or her book, Enough!  How to Liberate Yourself and Remake the World with Just One Word at www.theenoughmessage.com  

Laurie writes another monthly blog, Wisdom From the Circle, sharing the themes that arise in her women's circle each month. 

The "Enough" of Marketing

I’m a first time author, and the launch of my book is seven months away.  I am told that now is the time to “build my platform.” If you are not in the publishing biz, you probably wondering, as I did, what is a platform?  It is a ready audience for your upcoming book in the form of social media followers, an email list, current and former clients, networks and colleagues.  If you are someone whose writing developed quietly, and not within an existing paid job, institution, college or profession, chances are you have a small or non-existent platform (like me).  I know I should feel like I am not enough, but I don’t.  Why?

In my book, Enough,How to Liberate Yourself and Remake the World with Just One Word,  I write about something I call the shift from Expert to Essence.  I write how the expert paradigm is a disempowering one for the audience and shuts out contribution, connection and community.  Listening to an expert speak very rarely leads to profound change in the lives of the listeners.  But participate in solving a problem together, and you are changed by the experience forever. For me, marketing is interesting work.  It can be creative, purpose-driven and exciting. It challenges you to become self-reflective, crystal clear and concise. And if you are “putting you and your work out there” for the first time, it is scary as hell.

When feeling this vulnerable, of course the tendency is to run to experts for help.  This is a good idea unless you are using it as a substitute for learning and growing.  When we don’t want to take responsibility for our growing edge, we tend to seek experts to tell us what to do and how.  We give up our power and reinforce the belief that we ourselves are not smart or capable enough.  So, facing the daunting task of manifesting a decent sized platform from nothing for the first time, now would be a very good time for me to seek an expert, right?   Ok, so I did look for one just to see what I would find, and certainly I plan to hire people who possess skills I do not have to do certain tasks I have no business doing.  But hand over the entire baby?  No.  Especially after what I found as I looked for marketing experts to guide me.     

Let me start with a little disclaimer.  Perhaps it is my newly acquired “I am enough” mindset, but I’ve become much better at discernment.  And I have reason to believe I am not alone in this:  humanity in general is growing rapidly in its ability to better discern reality from illusion.  The evidence is all around, with whistleblowers, the secret lives of celebrities exposed, and the internet’s ability to share and put together bits of information to form an alternative to the mainstream picture of the world. 

But what I am noticing more and more is that if someone tells you they are something that they may not be, we have a bias towards believing them and discounting obvious evidence including that of our “gut” that may be telling us otherwise.  Case in point, Donald Trump.  He keeps telling us he is a winner, calling his competitors losers.  His current pole numbers prove that the public’s natural tendency is to align with winners.  And yet there is ample evidence of many, many failures he has had in the past.  Furthermore, isn’t it more likely after winning office that someone like Mr. Trump would protect the interests of other “winners” over the middle and lower classes, the predominant “losers” of the capitalistic model?  

In the book marketing business, there are many good and talented people, but there are also plenty of illusions to go around – rampant tricks and formulae  that promise to propel books to #1 on Amazon, free gift offers to lure you in, slick P.R. professionals who promise the moon while thinking nothing of emptying the bank accounts of naïve first-time authors.  And I am just wondering, how many times have you been offered a free webinar delivered by an expert, only to have to sit through 30 minutes of blatant self-promotion and hype, followed by the most basic, unoriginal “information” in the form of something like “my ten secrets to success”?  I am somewhat embarrassed to report that these kinds of “free webinars” tend to be the norm rather than the exception in my category of publishing – self-help.  Am I missing something? How are these free webinars consistent with self or help?  And how is it a free gift?  I just gave up an hour of my time to listen to someone name drop, talk on about her credentials and proudly recount her anointed journey to the top. This would be fine if I gleaned something of substance, but I did not (and usually don’t.)   That is saved for the paid seminar. I long for a day when most of us can tell the illusion from reality.  I long for a time when a gift is a gift, not a marketing ploy or an advertisement in disguise.

I used to teach marketing to graduate students who were studying training and adult education.  It perhaps should have, but ethics never came up in my class.  I had simply assumed that people always wanted to be of genuine service.  I think I would have been horrified to hear customers referred to as “a platform” (Isn’t a platform something you stand on?  What a visual!) There is nothing wrong with a platform per se, as long as you aren’t mistaking your customers for objects that lift you up or make you rich, rather than as people you serve with humility and appreciation.  

     

I want to take this opportunity to do marketing consciously. The “Never Enough” way is to always make the decision based on what will bring in the most money.  The “Enough” way is to decide based on alignment with heart-purpose, authenticity, integrity and the greater good.  I believe in reciprocity – what goes around comes around.    For example, I imagine bringing people together for juicy, meaningful conversations like “Why don’t I feel I am enough?” or “What’s my enough?”  I imagine bringing to life the principle behind Enough which is paying it forward and giving back. My plan is to offer a free speech or webinar to several of my favorite nonprofits between now and launch (April 1, 2016), then leaving it up to them if they’d like to use it as a fundraiser or a benefit to their clients and members. I imagine giving away some books to good people who I know would be generous enough to buy a book for someone else who they think could really benefit from the Enough message.  And I imagine hearing from YOU about what ethical, spiritual business is to you.  

How do we encourage community, reciprocity and empowerment by how we engage in business?  

How do we stay in the flow of enough? 

Got any good ideas? 

I want to hear from you!     

Thank you,

Laurie

Laurie McCammon is a planetary change agent, blogger, facilitator and author of Enough!How to Liberate Yourself and Remake the World with Just One Word, published  by Conari Press, out  April 1, 2016.  You can contact Laurie with comments at lauriemccammon@gmail.com, Like LaurieMcCammon on Facebook or follow her on Twitter at @EnoughMessage

What To Do When the Dow Jones Drops 1,000 Points

                                                         Photo by Troy Tolley

Billions of people all over the world may be in a sense of panic and fear.  

Here is how not to be one of them. 

Step 1: I know your first reaction may be to call your broker or 401K manager.  Even if you could get through, stop.  Take several deep breaths.  Remember that any action you take while in a sense of panic and fear will not be the best ones.  With each exhale, ask for any negative feelings to leave your body. With each inhale, ask for clarity and support.    When you start feeling calmer and more centered, proceed to step 2.

Step 2: Remember that this event is not about you and your 401K. It is about an economic shift of global proportions.    Realize that you are not alone. We will almost all feel the effects of any major correction in the world markets. But because so many are being affected, this creates an opportunity and a momentum for humanity to band together in an energized and more empowered way. It creates the impetus to correct a number of the abuses of the current economic system, including the shrinking middle class, the fiat money system, cutting of programs for the poor and the widening gap between the rich and the poor.  

Step 3: Remember that the world did just fine before there was a stock market.  Local commerce does not need a stock market.  People will still eat, work and have shelter. People will buy and sell goods.  Local economies will thrive. Nature will still provide food, air, water and sunlight.  

Step 4: You already have more than enough. Try this exercise:  Walk around the interior of your home and take quiet stock of what you have.  Do you really need everything?  Is there something you could sell?  How much of your “stuff” could you do without and still be you?

Step 5:  Get to know your neighbors.  What skills and resources are right there in your neighborhood?  What unique skills could you offer to exchange for something you need?  Organizations such as hOurworld have provided free software to neighborhoods, towns, and regions all over the world to create their own “time banks” in which people offer a service to someone else in the exchange.  You can “bank” you hours and “spend them” to receive a service you need.  hOurworld exchanges include healthcare, child care, yard work, home repair, elder care and more. Check to see if there is a time bank or community currency program near you.

Step 6: Remember that major global events like this are offering you a clear spiritual choice. I like to use the metaphor of a hurricane.  At the center of the storm it is calm and still.  But get swept into the cetrifugal force of the outer bands, and you are subject to a great deal of chaos and turmoil. What spiritual practices keep you in a place of peace where you can hear your deepest wisdom for what to do?  Who are you interacting with – people who make you feel calm, grounded and secure, or those who make you feel insecure and scared?  You choose which world you want to live in. Will it be one of thoughtful action, sharing, unity and peace or one of impulsive action where the primary methods of relating to others is one of separation, hoarding, violence, “weaponing up” and panic?

Step 7: Seek out people and groups that support you in building real resilience and security in your life.  Carefully select groups that avoid fear tactics, blaming and separation. Instead look for groups whose gathering point is one of mutual support, authenticity, kindness, sharing and thriving. Bow out of conversations that center on negativity, pessimism and fear.  Find those who can share an optimistic viewpoint, one based on the reality that we each are enough and have enough.  

Step 8:  I tried this practice years go and it really did work.  Once a day for a week, either when you get out of bed or just before you go to sleep, keep a gratitude journal.  Give yourself a set time, say 2 – 5 minutes to write down everything you are grateful for from the last 24 hours.  It may be challenging at first, but as you move through the week, you will start noticing more and more. Take a silent walk in nature and ask it to show you abundance, beauty, resilience.  I guarantee it will.  Journal what you found.

Step 9: As we move beyond the first shock wave, people will be taking stock of what this situation can teach us about living better lives.   See this as an opportunity to determine what in the “economy” is real and what is speculation-based.  What is local, personal, reliable, healthy, responsible?  What is driven by forces that operate well beyond your control, often in secret or in complex ways well beyond your understanding? Consider moving your resources in the future to building more tangible and local assets. There are many organizations that specialize in microlending and socially responsible lending.  Realize that you cannot separate the businesses from the people who run them.  Know who is in charge of the companies you invest in and what their values are.

Step 10: Reach out and do something nice for someone today. I know this may seem counterintuitive when you are feeling financial loss, but giving really does put you in touch with the flow of abundance.  Even if what you share is something small like a smile or kind words, or something larger, like a “pay it forward” gesture, it will remind you that the world isn’t that bleak and harsh after all. We have one another, and that is the basis of most of the happiness in our lives. Love, friendship, kindness and peace aren’t part of the economy.  They cannot crash.  They are “baked in” to life, something you yourself can cultivate and receive no matter what.       

Laurie McCammon is a planetary change agent, blogger, facilitator and author of Enough!How to Liberate Yourself and Remake the World with Just One Word, published  by Conari Press, out  April 1, 2016.  You can contact Laurie with comments at lauriemccammon@gmail.com, Like LaurieMcCammon on Facebook or follow her on Twitter at @EnoughMessage


Laurie writes another monthly blog, Wisdom From the Circle, sharing the themes that arise in her women's circle each month.