# SWEET Truth: What Enough Feels Like

### Success, but softer.

[Talicha J. Poetry](https://substack.com/@talichajpoetry)

Apr 29, 2025

I’ve been sitting with this question a lot lately: _what’s enough_?

Not in a big philosophical way (although…maybe a little), but in a real, everyday kind of way. Like, when is what I’ve done enough? When is where I’m at enough? When can I stop reaching, stop refreshing, stop moving the goalpost?

As poets and teaching artists and creative folks in general, it’s easy to feel like we have to keep proving ourselves. That we need another win, another publication, another workshop or income stream just to stay relevant. Just to feel valid. And listen, I’ve definitely had moments where I’ve been caught in that loop. **But I’m trying to unlearn the idea that more is always better**.

Because “success” doesn’t always show up loud. Sometimes it’s a soft thing. Sometimes it’s a small thing. Sometimes it’s just making it through the week without burning out.

So lately I’ve been trying to tune into what success actually _feels_ like—for me. Not what it looks like from the outside, but how it settles in my body. In my energy. In my ability to show up with care (for myself and for others).

Here are a few things that let me know I might be closer to “enough” than I thought:

- I don’t feel panicked when I take a day off.
- I’m able to enjoy a win without immediately chasing the next thing.
- I finish a task and don’t feel the need to prove I’m still working.
- I feel steady—not overwhelmed, not under pressure—just steady.

It’s a different way of measuring success, and it takes practice. But I think it’s worth trying. So instead of asking:

- Am I doing enough?
- Am I successful enough?
- Am I where I should be?

I’m learning to ask:

- Does this feel good in my body?
- Am I proud of how I showed up for this?
- Am I honoring what I need right now?

These questions don’t always give me easy answers, but they get me closer to the kind of success that feels sustainable. The kind that feels like mine.

This is the last SWEET TArTs post for a while—I’m closing out this first “season” here and will be back later in the year with more reflections, tools, and real talk for your creative life. But before I go, I’ve got one final thing for you:

## **SWEET Assignment**

What lets you _feel_ like you’re enough?

Not in terms of what you’ve done or achieved, but in your body. In your breath. In how you’re showing up.

1. Write down three signs that help you know you’re moving from a place of _enough_. Not based on output.
2. Choose one small way to honor that feeling this week. That might look like giving yourself permission to rest, pausing to acknowledge something you’re proud of, or simply not rushing into the next thing. Let it be enough.

While SWEET TArTs is on its break, I’ll still be posting something here for you every Tuesday, so keep an eye out! Also be sure to subscribe to my [YouTube Channel](http://www.youtube.com/@talichajpoetry) for weekly videos!

**About me:**

[Talicha J.](https://www.instagram.com/talichajpoetry) is a Black queer poet, teaching artist, and Pushcart Prize nominee. She was a 2024 Collaborating Fellow at The Poetry Lab. Her debut collection, _[Falling in Love with Picking Myself Up](https://talichajpoetry.com/shop/p/falling-in-love-with-picking-myself-up)_ (2015), led to a national tour and helped grow her presence as a poet.

In June 2024, she released her chapbook, _[Taking Back the Body](https://talichajpoetry.com/shop/p/taking-back-the-body)_, which won the Beyond the Veil Press chapbook contest. She also curates writing and editing sprints, leads online generative workshops, and hosts a monthly publication submission space. Her work has appeared in or is forthcoming with _Plenitude_, _Fahmidan_, _Peach Fuzz_, _Lucky Jefferson_, _Just Femme and Dandy_, _Button Poetry_, and more.