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A lot of people want more abundance in their lives. And yet, when it comes down to actually receiving… well, that’s another matter!
Abundance doesn’t always show up as money. Especially at first.
It can show up as a smile from a stranger, a hug from a friend, a heartfelt compliment, or someone making you a pot of chicken soup when you’re sick.
If it’s difficult for you to receive those little abundance gifts… without apology, deflection or self-deprecation… then you might also find it hard to receive other forms of abundance. Like money.
Because it’s all connected.
I totally get how it can be hard to receive! I’m naturally much more inclined to focus on how I can be of service to others, and for many years I saw that as my main path to abundance.
But my tank got depleted that way.
Then I came to realize that I have to also practice good self-care in order to keep my own tank full. But you know what? That’s not completely ‘receiving’ either. That’s just stopping for a minute, refueling and heading back out into the give, give, give fray.
Women in particular – I feel we’ve been conditioned into this ‘giving mode’. Many of us have big tanks when it comes to our capacity to give. But an over-reliance on giving (which we may even call ‘being abundant’) without truly receiving too, will eventually lead to feeling depleted.
It’s so important to activate your ‘receiving mode’ as well if you want a truly abundant life!
A few years ago, I got to have a deeper experience of really receiving.
I’d had some surgery which meant that I was out of action for about a week. Like, really out of action.
I needed someone to cook for me. I needed help showering. I needed help getting out of my chair. I needed help keeping track of my medications. I needed everything done for me, pretty much.
It was very humbling. It was also amazing, because I had to receive without giving back at all. Just receive.
My sister came to help me out for the first 5 days of my recovery and looked after my every need. Then a roster of friends brought me meals, spent time with me, and helped me get to my follow up appointments.
I got amazing care from the doctors and nurses who looked after me too. And of course, I’m so grateful for all that support and to have access to good medical care.
The whole experience was harder than I thought it would be, though. The helplessness and vulnerability was confronting for me… and I felt embarrassed needing to ask for help with the most basic things.
But I soon realized something wonderful: every single person who helped me was HAPPY and GRATEFUL for the opportunity to support me and give back to me.
Also, in my vulnerability, those people got to see a side of me that I guess I rarely show. We had some beautiful moments of bonding and connection. I didn’t have my shizz together in any way, and think they loved me all the more for it!
So now I sit in a space of deep gratitude and wonder at the beauty of simply receiving.
My ‘receiving mode’ was activated in a profound way through that experience, and all I can say to everyone involved is a huge THANK YOU!
To YOUR Abundance,
Julie Ann Cairns
P.S. If this post resonated with you… or you enjoyed my book The Abundance Code: How to Bust the 7 Money Myths for a Rich Life Now (available on Amazon)… or you watched my docuseries The Abundance Code (streaming on Gaia.com)… and you’d like to share with me about how any of those resources have helped you in your life…
Please send me an email to theteam@theabundancecode.com – I’d love to hear from you!
Hearing your stories of abundant transformation really fill my heart with joy!
