I'm Afraid of Not Being Enough

I am afraid of not being enough.

That is the central fact of this poem.

I am afraid that my work is not good enough.

I am afraid that my effort is not impressive enough.

I am afraid that the person I am is not sufficient for the life I want.

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This fear affects my decisions.

It makes me hesitate before I speak.

It makes me rewrite messages several times before sending them.

It makes me compare myself to people who seem more confident, more successful, or more secure.

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I do not want to feel this way.

I want to believe that I am adequate as I am.

I want to trust that growth does not require self-rejection.

I want to accept that mistakes do not cancel my value.

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Sometimes I work too hard because I think achievement will solve this fear.

Sometimes I avoid trying because I think failure will confirm it.

Both reactions come from the same concern: I do not want to be dismissed, ignored, or judged as lacking.

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This is not about humility.

It is not about ambition.

It is about worth.

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I want to feel that my presence matters.

I want to know that I do not need to prove my right to exist in every room I enter.

I want to stop measuring my value by outcomes.

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I am afraid of not being enough.

I am stating it clearly because avoiding the sentence has not made it disappear.