Abundance isn’t just about how many dollars you have in the bank. It’s a mindset, a way of seeing your reality. And, like any mindset, it’s also a choice―a choice that you can make right now, in this moment, and every day of your life.
Simply put, abundance is 1) the feeling that everything you need to move forward in life will be available to you at precisely the right time, and 2) the willingness to recognize and receive those things when they present themselves.
All of the possibilities of the Universe are available to us in every moment. The ones that come into our reality are the ones we focus on.
Scarcity is a possibility. Plenty is a possibility. The one upon which we put our attention is the one we will receive. It’s that simple―and that profound.
In every moment, you can choose to see the dollars in your bank account and think, “There’s not enough.” Or, you can choose to see your overflowing fridge and your car that’s full of gas, and think, “I have plenty of everything I need to get me through this day, and the next day, and the day after that.” One is a scarcity mindset; the other is an abundant one. One invites contraction, the other expansion.
It’s Not About Dollars and Cents
The first year I took my business past that all-important six-figure mark, I waited impatiently for that long-desired sense of abundance to set in … but it never came. I still felt like the same frazzled, overworked mompreneur I’d always been. Self-care and spaciousness hadn’t magically happened. Nor had the sense of freedom I’ve always associated with abundance. In fact, I was working longer and harder than ever. Sure, it was great to have some extra cash lying around, but nothing else had changed. What I had created didn’t feel like enough.
I wondered, “Will I ever feel like I have enough?”
And then, painfully, “Will I ever feel like I am enough?”
Ouch.
It was a huge reality check. It showed me that feeling abundant really has nothing at all to do with our bank balance, and everything to do with how we see our world.
So many of us are waiting around for something―money, a relationship, an opportunity―to show up and give us permission to feel abundant. We think “When I get there, I’ll feel like I can relax.” Or we’re waiting for our reality (or God, or the Universe, or whomever) to prove to us that it’s finally okay to trust in the Universe.
Sorry, sugar. That’s not the way things work. Abundance, like happiness, is an inside job, and it starts―as all evolution does―with a choice.
If you don’t feel abundant right now, it’s time for an internal shift. I promise you, it’s not wishful thinking; instead, consider it training for when your material windfall hits. Because if you don’t shift your mindset now, you won’t appreciate your abundance when it comes. Instead, you’ll find a reason why, once again, it’s not enough―just like I did.
5 Ways to Uplevel Your Abundance Right Now
An abundance mindset isn’t about fooling yourself, or being a “Polyanna.” It’s simply a different way of seeing, reacting to, and talking to yourself about your reality.
Anywhere in your life that you see scarcity is a great place to start your internal shift. And, as I’ve discovered through working with women from around the world, scarcity shows up in some pretty unexpected places.
Here are five ways to uplevel your abundance right now, without adding a single penny to your bank account.
- Stop competing―especially with other women. When you find yourself in competition, jealousy, or judgment, you are saying to the Universe, “There isn’t enough for all of us to have what we want.”
- Focus on what you already have. Put another way, cultivate a gratitude practice. When you focus on the multiple resources that are available to you in each moment, you will feel more stable and secure.
- Be vulnerable. When you wear a hard shell around your heart, you’re saying, “It’s not safe to be who I am, or feel how I feel.” That message of “not safe” impacts your abundance, too. Think of how much more supported you will feel in all areas of your life when you allow others to be there for you. Trust me, there are people in your life who want nothing more than to be of service.
- Be willing to receive. Every time you close yourself off to receiving, you shut a door in the face of your abundance. This is true no matter how big or little the offering is. So, next time someone offers you a compliment, a coffee, a hand to hold, or a check, ask yourself, “How can I receive this gracefully and with gratitude?” Soon, you’ll start seeing opportunities to receive everywhere you look―including in your bank account.
- Remember that you are enough. When you don’t feel like you are enough, nothing you receive will feel like enough, either. (Trust me, I know this one firsthand!) Remember that you are the only one who can choose your reality, and the only one who can decide what you are worth. (Note: If you need help with this, a great coach or therapist is your best ally. You don’t have to break this pattern alone!)
You are worthy of receiving every ounce of abundance this Universe has to offer. Only you can decide what’s possible for you. So make the choice to get your mind and heart on board with abundance right now, regardless of what your current situation looks like, and let the magical cascade of receiving begin!
