“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” ~Wayne Dyer
One thing I believe I’m supposed to learn in this lifetime is that I am worthy… of true friends and their love, of time to have fun and relax, of my home and the goodness inside it, and just abundance in general. Most days I feel overwhelming gratitude for it all. I read about girls on the far side of the globe who have to walk two hours to school and think how fortunate I am to have been born into a family in the US who believe strongly in education. I hear about human trafficking and feel such relief that I don’t have any experience with it aside from local activism groups I’m part of and some books I’ve read. And on and on.
I realize that coming to terms with abundance sounds like a good challenge to have. Becoming comfortable with it is a slow process for me because it taps into so many other issues of self-worth, self-esteem, and even fears that if something good happens now, will something bad follow later? So much goodness seems unlikely and hard to accept.
I heard Brené Brown say on Oprah that when she was on her flight from Houston to Chicago to do that first show, wouldn’t it have been just peachy if her plane went down, just as she was about to meet Oprah… so her solution was to focus on gratitude. For her life up to then, her family, and for the opportunity itself. Gratitude is the opposite of fear.
Sonia Choquette says in this short video that the more you receive goodness, the more it amplifies. Pay attention to good things that come your way. What do you receive and are you comfortable with it? Abundance = expect it, accept it.
I say thank you for all the gifts. Thank you for my family’s health. Thank you for the sunshine and the rain. Thank you for the ability to travel to interesting places. Thank you for a life partner who respects and loves me. Thank you for a life of relative ease and peace of mind.
I hope with all sincerity that my life is a blessing for others. Going about my day, I strive to live up to what I’ve been given.
Naomi, you were “the blessing” for me today. What a beautiful post!
I do practice expressing gratitude throughout my day in many ways and yet I never tire hearing of different interpretations. Thank you!
I enjoyed your photo of your cat curling up with you and truly appreciated the video clip. With much gratitude for you.
Elda recently posted…Never Just A Simple Song
Oh Elda, I’m so glad this resonated with you! Thank you for commenting!
Lovely post Naomi. It’s my belief that gratitude is a life-shifting paradigm. The attention to all the gifts, all the blessings, all the wonderfulness that you’re currently receiving does indeed open the way to continued awareness of how truly loved and supported one is. And when we feel abundant in that, we’re so much more likely to want a world in which we all have equal access to resources.
Truly! Gratitude shifted my perspective yesterday and I am so thankful.
This post is an accurate reflection of my own journey right now. Sometimes gratitude comes easy. Other times it’s an effort and yes, it’s a slow process. I needed that reminder, I want everything right here and now.
Tat recently posted…Keep your creative ideas alive: tips for overcoming self-doubt
I know… I often feel the same way. It IS a slow awareness!
Thank you for this post!
I’d never thought of gratitude as the opposite of fear before. Interesting! I practice gratitude every day, sometimes several times a day, and it is an utter joy. ♥
Harmony Harrison recently posted…… and the bat played on
So nicely said. I feel your gratitude and know that you will pass it along.
Have a good week.
Passing this on to a friend who needs to hear from the video: “let your expression of being at work be a blessing to someone else.” Thanks for sharing, Naomi!
Heather Koshiol recently posted…Share: Listening & Learning
You are a blessing for me Naomi. I can’t speak for everyone else but I’m pretty sure there are thousands of us. [Smile.]
kimberly recently posted…Day 71 – Pie Lady of Pie Town
Actually, let me correct. It does NOT balance itself out much of the time. There are many people in the world that are very underprivileged. It is definitely not balanced. But what can we do about it? We can work to balance it by helping others and by recognizing what is happening.
I was watching John Oliver yesterday and he had a thing on there about the prison system and about what happens to prisoners when they leave prison. He’s been on that topic a lot lately and I had never really thought about it. There are a lot of people in prison for having been caught with possession of some drugs. Now granted, they were breaking the law, but prison ruins people’s lives. Then, when they get out of prison, they carry a stigma that often times continues to ruin their lives. This is just one example of people that are underprivileged.
We are going to Costa Rica this winter. I am very excited about it and also somewhat nervous to see what life is like in that country. I have read some things, but I can’t think of a better learning experience for my daughter (and myself) to see how other people live. We do not just stay in the resorts. We try and get to know the country and what life is like there. We are learning Spanish so that we can talk to the locals and get some firsthand accounts of what life is like there.
Despite all that, there are many people in the world who have very little in terms of privilege but they carry big hearts and seem perfectly happy with what they have. Let them be an inspiration to us all.
Amy Putkonen recently posted…I’m Not Going to Talk About It
Hi Naomi,
Such a sweet reminder. Yes. I loved your photo of your cat. Great colors in your bed too! hee hee. We do have it good. I know that you have done a lot of work to help others too. That is one way of giving back for everything. It all balances out.
Amy Putkonen recently posted…I’m Not Going to Talk About It
“Gratitude is the opposite of fear” Did that come from you or Brené Brown?
Whoever said it 1st, it reminded me of the typical Shabbat service where, even though there’s a lot of Hebrew read throughout, the English transliteration is fairly repetitive. “Praise God”, God is good, praise The Creator, etc. Lots of gratitude, right? And reading the English along with the other congregants sort of becomes a mantra, a hum in the sanctuary, causing a subtle peace to surround me.
Just saying…
I hear your heart so clear
and it’s a beautiful sound:)
Love and yes to you and this,
Jennifer
Jennifer Richardson recently posted…Hope sings the wind…..