Enoughness in an Age of Excess

By Henri Ruff

Modern life is shaped by an assumption that more is always better – more growth, more achievement, more consumption. But what if this relentless striving is part of the problem rather than the solution? Henri Ruff makes the case for ‘enoughness’ as a way of restoring balance, both in our personal lives and in the wider economy. Henri is a retired economist.

The Age of Relentless Striving

Turbulence is a familiar metaphor for the age we live in – borrowed from physics and flow dynamics. Many of us have experienced it at 30,000 feet when flying. At ground level, however, we are encountering a different kind of turbulence: the relentless news of war, social destitution, and economic and political destabilisation. But there is also a more personal form of turbulence which arises from the desire for ever more material possessions, career enhancement, social status, excellence, and perfection. I call this ‘the Age of Relentless Striving’. It is deep seated and discomforting, and it disturbs the humanist desire for ataraxia – peace of mind. Apart from fleeting moments of individual achievement, such striving can feel joyless and unfulfilling.

Maximising or optimising?

This form of striving is often narrowly goal-driven, with little regard for the complexity and plurality of life. It tends towards maximising at any cost – often at the expense of others – rather than the more balanced aim of optimising. It is shaped by a ‘winner-takes-all’ competitive instinct, which can crowd out a more cooperative spirit.

This mindset can also be seen across the commercial sector, where the pursuit of profit becomes an end in itself, and increasingly in public services, where doing things efficiently can take precedence over doing the right thing. It is reflected more broadly in our economy, and globally, where continual growth is often treated as the solution rather than part of the problem. In this way, wider political and economic systems can reinforce the same patterns of excess.

So how might we begin to move away from this culture of relentless striving and excess? Where might an alternative be found?

An antidote

An antidote to this culture of excess is ‘enoughness’ – the state of being satisfied with just enough, rather than pursuing ever more money, success, and possessions. It can also guide us towards the more human condition of being ‘good enough’ much of the time, rather than striving to be ‘awesome’ in everything we do. Enoughness does not, however, mean giving up on a life of achievement. Rather, it involves focusing on doing things sufficiently well, and recognising that truly outstanding performance is rare. Nor does it require great wealth to entertain or distract ourselves. Instead, it points towards having adequate means to sustain a more lasting sense of contentment, rather than chasing the highs of momentary happiness and the lows that often follow.

Goldilocks, like many fairy stories, teaches the value of finding what is ‘just right’, rather than the excesses of ‘too much’ or the trap of thinking that the best must always replace the good. Mother nature has also endowed us with a sense of ‘enoughness’. Our appetite for food is normally regulated by the feeling of being full – some of us sooner than others. Similarly, our need for sleep is governed by our circadian rhythm, so that after a good night’s rest we usually feel ready to face the day.

A gradual detox

So what prevents us from living in this more balanced way? Part of the answer lies within ourselves – in habits of craving, restlessness, and the desire for more. But there are also powerful external pressures: consumer culture, advertising, and the constant pull of comparison, amplified by social media. Together, these forces can draw us away from a sense of ‘enough’ and towards excess.

Of course, it's unrealistic to think that we can dismantle market forces or escape social pressures altogether. The transition from excess to ‘enoughness’ therefore has to begin at a personal level, with a shift in attitude – in our values, beliefs, and habits. One way of thinking about this is as a gradual ‘detox’, as we move away from excess and towards a more balanced way of living.

This does not mean giving up ambition or aspiration. Rather, it involves moderating our instinct to strive by directing it towards what is meaningful. As psychiatrist Viktor Frankl suggested, meaning is not something we simply discover, as if it were hidden; it is something we create, in line with our values and beliefs.

This also requires a sense of balance, so that no single goal comes to dominate everything else. A more balanced approach allows different aspects of life to be held in proportion, rather than being driven by one overriding aim.

Balancing future and present

Then there is the growing emphasis on goal-setting – not just as a useful tool, but as a dominant way of life. As John Lennon almost put it, ‘Life is what happens to you while you’re busy setting goals’. An excessive focus on goals can draw us away from simply being in the present, rather than always striving for the future. Over time, the future-oriented mindset can become habitual, shaping how we think and act. We may find ourselves caught in patterns of restlessness – always looking ahead, always doing more – rather than experiencing the present as it is. Recognising these patterns is a first step towards loosening their hold, though changing them is not always easy.

Developing this shift in attitude may involve a range of practical changes – from decluttering our surroundings to cultivating greater awareness of how we live. At its heart, this involves paying attention to the present moment. Although this has become something of a cliché, there can be real value in stepping back from dwelling on the past or anticipating the future, and engaging more fully with what is happening now. Much of our unease arises from what might happen, rather than what is actually happening.

Letting go

The transition from excess to ‘enoughness’ ultimately involves a kind of letting go. There may be a sense of loss in releasing what once felt necessary. But what is gained is a deeper sense of ataraxia – peace of mind – and the possibility of freeing ourselves from the Age of Relentless Striving.