Abundance

I have long been an anxious sort of person, a worrier.  And I constantly project into the future what current options or choices might pan out to be, weighing up consequences.  

My fantasies can go two ways: the first are really excellent outcomes (like any perfectionist would) and then I land up feeling really burdened by the level of expectation I have set as a sort-of 'goal' and really all it is is a movie in my head, flashes going off as the paparazzi throw questions at me, the famous, well-loved expert in her field, celebrated by all humanity for her pure awesomeness.  No pressure.  

And the second, I like to call the Downward-Spiral or as most people call it : Worst-Case Scenario.  Here, the fantasy is a whole bunch of "what-if's" and general doom and gloom.  A bit Eeyeore-ish (you know, the very down donkey from Winnie-the-Pooh). 

I have recently discovered a very real benefit or antidote to Downward-Spiral and to Awesome Celebrity.  It is not a one-dose pill but is needed more regularly like a homeopathic remedy to a chronic disorder - effective over time.  And it is this:  a positive affirmation to reprogram my neural pathway to build a new belief system based on abundance. I use this one but please feel free to change it and make one to suit yourself:

I am an abundant being

Living in an abundant world

All that I need and want for my highest good

Comes to be abundantly and generously with love and grace

And I gratefully receive it

And gracefully accept it

So be it

And so it is

I think that "lack" mentality, glass-half-empty syndrome is a basic human condition.  We are physical beings competing with others for limited resources within a limited period of time and then we all die. And so we are  naturally conditioned to store food for winter months and save towards a pension for one day when we stop working.  Life is full of endings and new beginnings.  We have witnessed this for eons in the death of animals and the cycle of growth in crops and vegetation.  We witness our parents grow old, pets dying and toys lost.  Everything comes to an end sometime.  "There is not enough" is in our cells.

Another basic belief is : "I am not enough" and "I am not good enough".  We aren't born like this but develop this very unhelpful belief over time each time we see ourselves failing at something or being judged or rejected by another.  Non-acceptance.

When we connect with a greater sense of ourselves, outside of the paradigm where we identify ourselves as just our bodies, we shift our perspective of ourselves and our worlds.  We are so much more than our physical selves.  Yes, the body is a miracle in itself.  But so is the rest of us.  The mind, the heart and the soul.  If we connect to all parts of ourselves, we come to a place of deep peace and expansiveness that goes beyond the limits of our physicality and creates a world of miracles.

Each of us will find different pathways to access this sense of ourselves.  Some people use their religions, communities, jobs, families and more.  I get it from daily practice of things that support me and give me groundedness, expansiveness and connectedness with all parts of me.  One of my daily practices is affirming abundance in my life. It just simply works for me.  It calms me and expands my sense of self.  It pulls down the rose tinted glasses that sit on top of my head and brings them to sit over my eyes, changing my view of the world from one of destitution, brutality and limits to pure potential, abundance and contentment.  "I am enough",  "There is enough" and "I am good enough" are fully believable.  Everything is as it should be.  Rosy.

Another practice that feeds abundance is gratitude.  Daily journalling can end in a list of all the things you are grateful for in your life.  Or say them to your spouse as you climb into bed at night...3 things you are grateful for that day.  It is highly effective and puts the rose tinted glasses firmly on the bridge of your nose, allowing you to see the abundance and blessings in your life.

Remember, these thoughts are like a chronic illness - we need to take regular doses of abundance and gratitude for this antidote to work.