I just realized it. I’m living life all wrong.
And it’s not about what to do, or not to do, but it’s something deeper.
This is about the principles that govern our life, and make it possible for us to do what we want to do.
How was I living life all wrong?
I thought it was all about collecting
Accumulating, storing, stockpiling, keeping.
Those were words that I associated with living life.
I believed that I had to find ways to increase how I got what I wanted, and decrease how I spent or lost what I wanted to keep.
And that belief, operated how I would act in my finances, income, work, relationships, and even what I would risk.
I keep telling my clients and coachees, that if I got to see their schedule, and their bankbook, I’d know what their priorities are.
Looking at mine for the past calendar, there’s one clear thing about my calendar and bankbook:
I was afraid to lose.
A lot of the project were referrals, and clients from the companies that I freelance with.
There weren’t a lot of schedules that meant I was committing to building assets, taking risks, and testing leads.
I was afraid to lose what I already had.
The effect? I still lost some, and I’m not better off that where I was a year ago.
I wanted to safeguard what I had. But in return, I didn’t grow the way I wanted to.
What stopped me? When the moments called for investment and risk, I shied away, because the script in me was telling me that I didn’t want to lose.
That’s not how life works.
You’ll never get to keep anything
Life isn’t about collecting, because one way or another, we’ll lose everything.
Material things break down.
Memories fade.
Connections and relationships weaken.
People die.
The stronger you try to hold on to something, the stronger, and more persistent, the forces of the world work to take them away.
You’ll never get to keep everything that passes through your hands.
It’s like a reservoir of water that’s dammed up, afraid to lose the water it’s holding. Over time, it’s just going to evaporate, and the water will be lost.
Like things, memories, relationships, and people.
Life isn’t meant to be lived collecting and stockpiling.
Life, is meant to flow.
Life is flow, flow is life
Like water, that fills up a reservoir, and is then flowed out to be used, living life is meant to be flowing.
There will always be something being done, something moving, something being received, and something being given away.
This became apparent this year for me, in terms of money.
I had saved up quite a bit over the years, but I lost a lot of money a few years back.
That hurt me, and I became afraid of losing any more.
From that point, I tried to safeguard as much as I had already, not wanting to risk any more.
And so collect and keep, I did. Which maintained what I had, but it did not grow any more. Actually, it diminished in value, thanks to inflation, and other emergency expenses.
To flow is to grow, and if you’re not growing, then you’re dying. Like the total on my bank accounts.
To learn to give graciously and generously, is also to learn to receive graciously and generously.
Have you ever practiced receiving generously? Accepting blessing with your whole heart, despite your mind resisting, telling you you’re not good enough for it?
Gratitude. Thanks.
Life flows in, and in the same way, life flows out.
Money, objects, relationships, people.
All of these flow in and out of our lives. We may enjoy their company for some time, and for some, a long, long time! But there will always be a time for them to leave.
Welcome them into your life, and be grateful as they leave.
This is where the saying goes, that if you are generous, the blessings will come back to you full circle.
That’s flow. How you spend your money, how you keep and give away objects, how you maintain and take care of relationships, the people of your life, all of that sends a message to the world, and to you.
What message have I been sending all this time? That I was afraid, and that I was not yet ready to advance to a higher level of flow.
Maybe, that’s what being wealthy means, being able to accept and handle larger and larger amounts of what flows in and out of my life.
It’s not about being the biggest stockpile
It’s about being the biggest, widest river that you can be.
Receive fully, and give generously.
Let your energy flow out to do good, and in to recharge and to help sustain you.
What flows in and out of your life? Let me know in the comments below!
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