Everyday Inspiration: Receiving 101
Dear Magnificent Ones,
Why is it important to receive? The simple answer is because your very life and that of others may depend on it.
I recently asked someone how they were doing and their answer was; “I can’t complain. You know, I’m realistic. I can’t expect more out of life.”
Really? Is this really your answer? Is this you in some way, shape or form? I’m amazed at how common this is. Why are you settling? And when did you make this choice? Is this something you were told, so you agreed to believe in it without examining it for yourself? What proof do you have that you can’t ask for more out of life?
You may feel ungrateful to even ask, having been taught you must learn to be happy with what you have. But isn’t there more than enough to go around? Do you have the feeling that if you ask you are taking it from someone else more deserving or do you believe there is not enough to go around?
Yet now that you’ve been given this life, how could you possibly NOT ask for more? The only one holding you back is You. You are stopping yourself from raising the expectations on the life of Peace, happiness, and contentment that you’ve always wanted. When you are truly happy and living an authentic life, you can listen to your inner callings and act upon them with conviction, arriving at your own door.
Most of us fall short of this kind of living, too afraid to pursue our goals because we don’t want to appear too demanding, too selfish or too ambitious.
You may have bought into an old thought pattern espoused by others who believed it was important to stick to your limitations. You asked for things in the past but the answer was often, NO and furthermore you were shamed into asking to begin with. Do some of these sound familiar? “Who do you think you are? You think money grows on trees? You’re asking again? You’re going to make everyone else feel uncomfortable.”
So we associate asking with guilt, receiving with shame.
We are very bad receivers. Why? Because we are raised to believe that it’s better to give than receive, that there is something wrong in accepting what we require. So most people never live up to their true potential. You are afraid to ask for and receive the help and assistance that would allow you to truly develop.
Isn’t it an interesting fact that most lottery winners end up in a worse financial position after they win the lottery than before? They associated the winnings with shame, unwilling to receive this amazing gift. Unless you can get over this feeling and realize that you are entitled to thrive and prosper, you will squander every new fortune that comes into your life.
So, like the lottery winner, we sabotage our “winnings” by discouraging the new friends or contacts that come our way. We don’t go after that new job lead or ignore our instincts telling us to leave that relationship. We settle for a life that remains pretty much the same, rationalizing the days away that you are just being realistic.
Giving and receiving are actually one in the same. They are part of a loving harmonious exchange, a symbiotic relationship, a yin and yang, where one can’t exist without the other. Like when we breathe in to take air, our lives expand, breathing out, we contract. Our hearts pump blood in and out. The whole universe expands and contracts and the same principle applies to us.
Being open to receive what life is giving you is a state of worthiness. A Feeling you are worthy of receiving the abundance and support of life when it expands and contracts. Will you act upon those new ideas that pop into your head, the people that come onto your path or the circumstances that change?
There is a natural rhythm to life that we all must follow. Where the contraction is as necessary as the expansion, otherwise what only grows one way becomes unmanageable. It’s called being in the flow. When you hear that voice nag you for something greater, something more out of life, then it’s time to listen.
You’re not taking anything away from someone else when enriching your own life with new choices and greater opportunities. It may seem uncomfortable to everyone else around you but that’s only because they’re not used to seeing you listen to your heart.
It’s not always popular or easy, especially in the beginning. But, after a while, you’ll see that by giving yourself the gift of your own life, you’re actually giving others the same thing too. Show them the way and make it easier for them to follow in your footsteps.
Get over yourself, literally. It’s not about you, it’s about what you came here for. To share your uniqueness with the world. How will you ever know the unique person you’re meant to be if you’re too busy believing you have no right to a better life.
Remember the oxygen mask scenario? If you don’t take what you need, you will not survive and, ultimately, you will not be of any service to anyone else.
Giving and receiving is one continuous harmonious whole, especially when the intention is towards a happy, successful life. The best thing you can do is give yourself the gift of being open to receive the extraordinary life that awaits. Your worth it and after all, that’s what we’ve been waiting for.
Are you ready?
As you take each step I will be there reminding you of your magnificence, and I will continue to do so, until you are able to see it in yourself.
As you take each step I will be there reminding you of your Magnificence, and I will continue to do so, until you are able to see it in yourself. © Copyright. Jennifer Annenberg Productions. 2013. All Rights Reserved. This publication may not be reproduced under any circumstances without the written consent of Jennifer Annenberg.
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