Hello beautiful people! I hope everyone is having a great week so far. I stumbled across this topic on social media and thought that there was so much truth to it that I had to share it...but with my own perception. We are all looking for a life with abundance, whether it be a life with an abundance of peace, money, or love. We all have our own version of what would make us happy in life. For some, the ability to capture these things seems to be a lifelong problem. Here are 3 reasons why your abundance in life keeps slipping through your hands.
Overreacting: I bet you weren't expecting that, but once I read this I realized that it was very true, especially in my case. I always seem to jump the gun and think of the worse thing that can happen. Then my body processes that as if it is and has happened, only for the very opposite or nothing at all to happen. Now I have unnecessarily taken myself through a negative period when I could have acknowledged the situation, processed it in a "Do what you can now and let the rest work itself out" mentality and then lived that moment in peace. Take away from the article: Watch how you respond/react to something. It may be the area where you are losing out on the abundance that you could experience in real-time. (Not to mention what opportunities you could miss out on while you're in a funk.)
Fear: WHEW! This is a big one. How many things have we missed out on because of fear? I tell you what, a lot of my career was built off of fear. I had a fear that if people knew that I was a black woman, that I wouldn't be given a chance to succeed. So I always chose positions that allowed me to be behind the scenes and I also lived my life that way. Now on one hand, when people finally met me in a business setting, there were some noticeable differences in how I was treated. (Typical, all of a sudden I'm sister girl. insert rolling eyes emoji) BUT...in most instances, people really loved finally meeting the person behind the position or brand. I now realize, that although I've had a successful career and business, I definitely HAVE NOT operated anywhere near my full potential because I am my best when I am social and out front. As I move from the dark back halls of the stage and push myself into the spotlight, boy does that take an adjustment, I'm dealing with my fear at the same time. Fear, no matter what yours is, can hold you back from living a truly abundant life because it automatically puts limitations on what you can and can't do. Now my mantra is, "Whatever is for you will not pass you by." Got that one from social media. Take away from the article: Things are going to happen. Life is uncertain, get comfortable with it and move forward.
Setting Proper Boundaries: I think EVERYBODY can learn from this one, especially since we aren't taught what healthy boundaries look like and how to enforce them in a respectful manner. People will take each and everything you give them if you allow them to. If you are giving to the point where your own vessel is being drained and no one is pouring back into you, it's time to set some boundaries. Your time, energy, efforts, and abilities are assets that should be shared with those who appreciate and/or can reciprocate the same. If you are allowing someone to constantly take advantage of you in this way, boundaries are needed. I started setting boundaries late in life, mainly because I didn't know that a healthy boundary was the missing key to a lot of manipulation in my life. I started looking at the people in my life as well as the things I did and ranked them. Not according to what they did for me, but according to what I got out of it. Does it make me happy or grow in any way? Does it make me better? Then I looked to see what gave back to me and treated me with the same kindness, respect, and love in return. The ones that had both qualities were the ones I started giving the most valuable parts of myself to. The ones that didn't give anything back in return but were positive and made me feel good, were the ones that I didn't want to give them up so they came after the first group. I also modified how much that group would get in time, effort, money, attention, etc. Anything that didn't give any of this was no longer a part of my life OR it would be treated on a moment-by-moment basis, as long as it wasn't coming with any type of negativity. ALL negativity would get blocked until it got right or got gone. You will be amazed at how many people will get right when they realize that you will remove yourself from their presence if they can't treat you correctly. This brings me back to the saying that still stands true, "People will treat you the way you allow them to treat you." You show people your worth. Take away from the article: Plant a good seed, in good ground. PERIOD! Ask yourself, is this good ground to sow in, AND is this a good seed to sow that will yield the fruit you desire? (Yes, you could be sowing bad seeds.) If the answer isn't a DEFINITE, straight simple yes...it's a no fam.
This straightforwardness is the key to getting your abundance. Lord knows we can talk ourselves into some messed up situations that we KNOW are not on the up and up just because we want it. Maybe that should be a bonus one. Watch your wants because they can kill your needs and then you won't have either. Until next time beautiful people! - FLL
Photo by Asa Dugger