Posts Tagged "Abundance"
The Most Difficult Thing to Do In Life
I was having a conversation with an Uncle this morning. The day before, he was training me in the art of dismantling opponents from what he had learned over 20 years of training in a free-style brawling Kung Fu gym.
He had a friend with an interesting situation in life. The doctors said that in 2 years, due to a disease, he would go blind, and the friend had seemingly run out of resources and opportunities, as he had trusted and given everything he had to his separated wife and baby girl, whom supposedly squandered the money he worked for in his government job, who had just recently stopped his pension.
With another close family member of mine, he proceeded to escalate and share in a misguided attempt at finding a solution for his friend, and after blasting his friend with various amounts of “loving thoughts” such as “he has no more hope”, “whatever shall we do for him” and “my friend is truly stupid”, a rampage of judging and finger-pointing went on and on… and on… until I sat down, having finished boiling water for the lemon tea I was making.
I said a few “kind words” about how much I appreciated people, anybody really, being labeled and judged behind their backs, without even the smallest amount of appreciation for who they are, what they’ve done and what they will do and shortly after, interestingly enough, it was only me and my uncle having the conversation.
We had a talk, which I won’t go over in too much detail, but in one particular instance, I asked him, can you, at this point of your friend’s life, say something good about him?
If there were crickets in my house, I knew they would be chirping right about then.
I then asked him, wouldn’t you be saying all sorts of wonderful things about the man, if he actually died?
“So on the day of his funeral, you would be talking about all his great deeds, about his love for his family, about his vision for a better Hong Kong and so on and so forth, on his deathbed. But before then, you absolutely refuse to say one good thing about the man.”
He simply agreed.
My Uncle loves my company. During his stay in Canada, he has canceled and changed several plans in order to take a walk with me and chat about various things, and I listened intently as he shared his vast experience as an owner of a Taxi company and a man with really, a very colorful history behind himself. So, he loves being around me.
I knew this, and I told him why he loved being around me:
I always thought good things about him. And I listed a few of these things to him, such as Uncle, you are a wonderful husband and father to your family, a fantastic Kung Fu master with awesome loyal students, I trust your natural genius and abundance, I know you to be at this very moment a world influencer at inspiring people around you to be more daring and more loving.
He simply accepted this, and was happy about this. And then I asked him, your friend is the same. Please start saying these kinds of good things about him. At least one good thing, I feel it would help.
{Insert long, awkward silence}
You can say it after me… if it helps. My friend is a…
He refused, very passionately! He missed an opportunity, to turn what he called a friend, into an actual friend. If you can’t even say one good thing about someone, can you really call yourself their friend?
I realized then, that to be a good friend to others, is to think good things about other people, and mean it.
This may be the easiest thing to do in the world for me, and I see everybody else as being able to easily do this in their lives, because everybody is truly, truly awesome.
Read MoreGiving Helping Hands
If we understand that we are all connected and that every subtle thing we do ripples through the world and affects everybody else, then it’s understandable that helping others comes back to us.
What is not always clear is how powerful that concept is. If we expend some energy to get ourselves some food, it may help only us. If we invest some time, money and energy into raising amazing children; they can easily grow to become talented, rich or powerful people who provide us with awesome creations, food, love and all sorts of other things, especially in our later years. By helping them, we end up helping ourselves and the world (oftentimes, a lot more).
Read MoreSharing is Fun
Buddhism can be summed up with the phrase, “we are all one”. That sentence may appear simple at face value, but it contains so many more layers.
Christianity can be boiled down to “love thy God, and love thy neighbor as thyself”. Just like above, this sentence embodies the majority of what Christianity is about. In the same way, this post has many layers.
Sharing is fun might sound like the punchline to a Dr. Seuss book but it’s so much more.
Read MoreTraffic Light Abundance
Driving down Birchmount near Scarborough Grace Hospital (currently being changed to another name because the Salvation Army is no longer sponsoring it) I came across a feeling.
I looked around and noticed the surroundings were a melody of glorious green and yellow. The dandelions dotting the evergreen grass reminded me of how my yellow t-shirt and jacket also brought to the trees around me a nice complement as well, in a je ne sais quoi (‘I just can’t describe‘) type of way.
The entire scene lasted a very interesting 3.5 seconds, my vision changing with its’ surroundings moving further south on the road, was eclipsed by the bright red light from the intersection… which then turned green perfectly in time for me to continue my journey.
Life’s problems, of all shapes, sizes and sheerness are like that; what feels difficult goes from gone to good as soon as we accept.
I was actually meditating on abundance as I was looking at the green and yellow scene. Green representing greenbacks, and yellow, brilliant gold. Greenbacks are the U.S and entire world’s image of financial power, and gold was the traditional measure of monetary abundance.
When you look at everything in your home, if you want, you can see abundance in those things. Turn on the tap and you can see water flow, just like money flows in and out of our lives in various amounts; you can imagine turning the tap and controlling how much water (money) flows. Or y’know, you might think that’s a lame thing to do.
If you own plants, and see them growing, you can think about them as your accounts, loving them and excited to see them grow.
These things may not seem to matter to most people, and in an easily noticeable sense, they don’t, but if one has the choice between looking at things as positive symbols of one’s success, or ‘just objects,’ the positive thoughts are the way to go.
There was a study done a little while ago on the effects of positive thinking on health. The study highlighted what appears to be a direct correlation between positive thinking and the occurrence of Alzheimer’s. Of course this study, like many, is only a hint towards a direction to explore, not some kind of conclusive concrete proof that everyone will easily swallow. A more in-depth look at the science behind positive thinking can be found in Barbara Fredrickson’s book Positivity.
Excerpt from a review:
She knows that Positivity is not particularly likely to further her academic career. She knows, too, that the benefits of positive emotions have already been widely touted…By explaining how science can show what actually happens in a person’s body and life as a result of positive emotions, Fredrickson hopes to reach the skeptics who might otherwise dismiss positivity as just a new set of rose-colored glasses.
Though she radiates joy and compassion, Fredrickson is no Pollyanna. Her initial motivation for investigating positive emotions was simply that few other psychologists were doing so. She also admits to once having been told (by a close friend) that she studied emotions because she didn’t have any.
I haven’t read Positivity personally (I’ll probably pick it up soon,) and I’d like to note that solid, scientific (double-blind) research on the effects of thinking positively are difficult to find, and that fact brings me to this interesting quote from Dr. David R. Hawkins (author of Force Vs. Power).
Human reason exhausts itself ceaselessly to explain the inexplicable. Explanation itself is high comedy, as preposterous as trying to see the back of one’s own head, but the vanity of the ego is boundless, and it becomes even more overblown by this very attempt to make sense of nonsense. The mind, in its identity with the ego, cannot by definition, comprehend reality; if it could, it would instantly dissolve itself upon recognizing its own illusory nature. It’s only beyond the paradox of mind transcending ego that what Is stands forth, self-evident and dazzling in its infinite Absoluteness. And then all of these words are useless. (Emphasis Added)
So it seems there’s little-to-no scientific evidence as to why one should look at everything as a positive metaphor. There’s also a 2000+ word long tirade on why positive thinking sucks from e-skeptic.com (though I think it rails against people who don’t really understand the concept yet fanatcize about it from what I gleaned.) Still, there’s plenty of anecdotal or empirical evidence for it, and metaphors for abundance, beauty, and success can be seen anywhere and in anything, if you’re open to it.
I’d suggest giving it a real chance. You may be pleasantly surprised. 
Money Is A Wave: How Well Do You Surf?
Light is a wave, sound is a wave, and yes, money is a wave. Waves rise and fall, and the important thing is to be comfortable surfing it.
The great money-masters of the world understand this concept and are comfortable with it.
When we’re children we get this. We get that things come easily into our lives at the right time. Whether it’s from some long-lost, generous, visiting relative, or whether it’s from Mommy & Daddy, or orphanages and governments.
When we’re kids we know very strongly that no matter what is going on, food & shelter are provided; toys show up often. We completely and utterly believe that every day is fine, there are no worries, and somehow, someway things will be provided to us. We can ride the wave and gracefully handle the ups and downs.
If a down time goes to long, they cry about it until things change. 
Trained To Panic
As we grow, we somehow learn that having faith and riding the wave is ‘no good’ anymore, suddenly it’s time to panic and force things and scramble for income.
Is it when we realize that we need to make it on our own?
Upon the unexpected death of Henry Ford’s mother, Henry was asked by his dad to run the farm, which was not his passion. Instead, he left home and started his career as an apprentice in an electric company and made his way, becoming an engineer. This was achieved through years of on job training and without any formal education. Despite all this, he went on to become one of the earliest people to attain the status of billionaire.
Is it when we failed and fell, testing ourselves?
Then comes a period of growth where we learn to trust our own abilities. We begin to realize that we *can* make it on our own, despite it being new and never having done it before. We learn we can land a job of some kind, or start a business of some kind, or win a lottery, or steal, or whatever — but the point is, we learn we change the pattern we’ve been following for most of our early years. We learn that a fall or a failure doesn’t really matter in the big picture and only makes us stronger. Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because “he lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” He even went bankrupt multiple times before he ended up with a functioning Disneyland. Most people don`t remember that part though.
Is it when we start see the starving-then-full cycle?
Next is a stage where, we learn about life’s ‘ups and downs’ (ebb and flow.) We get lame jobs, OK jobs, and awesome jobs. We start businesses that flop, businesses that do OK, and businesses that shine. There are months with high expenses and low income, and months which are high income low expenses. There are months where we get lots of gifts; new technology, items, toys, tools, and some where we provide these things to others.
Cash Flows Like A River
It can help to look at money as a river, which ebbs and flows. When the river is flowing fast and high, its easy to gather water, or store it, or let the river carry you to interesting new destinations. When the river is low and drying and the tide ebbing and there seems to be little flow, we can share the water we’ve stored with others who may need it, we can build raincatchers, and we can allow the situation to wait for rain or spring floods or move closer to an ocean or a lake.
The key thing is that the river always flows, its natural, even when it seems meager and almost dried up, it will always flow again. There are all kinds of ups-and-downs and we’re either at peace with them, surfing them, or we’re fighting them and getting pulled under by them.
Masters of success know this, most self-employed business owners can see this, people who make their money investing in the stock exchange are often extremely comfortable with this.
As the cashflow changes, success-makers see opportunities, depending on the ebb and flow, and they’re at home with either. Sure, there is the chance to choose to panic and worry about things, but why? Access your inner-child, remember how to be care-free and faithful. Remember how to believe in yourself, and in life.
Money is a big part of what makes the world go ’round. It is one of humanity’s commonly agreed upon symbol for value.
When we spend money, give money, and allow money to ebb out of our lives, we are encouraging and supporting value. We’re voting with our dollars.
Appreciate Cash Ebb-And-Flow
Appreciate and help everyone else involved with whatever we spend it on or give it to.
Whether we buy an item or service, donate it somewhere, or even drop it on the ground, we are benefiting someone else. In the same way, when other people spend on us or things we’re involved in, they are directing the flow back to us.
When money flows into our lives, we love it. We don’t always stop to understand or appreciate the people who made it possible with their funds, time, and energy, but we certainly enjoy the improved experience.
Do you thank paypal everytime you get a transfer? How about the engineers who designed the ATMs? Do you thank the government that prints and circulates the cash that’s in your pocket? There is no reason, they ever, ever, ever had to provide these things, that you use everyday.
It’s all a beautiful cycle, both the spending and receiving helps both the spender and the receiver so much, that realizationopens the door for even more.
Do Yourself A Favour & Love It
LOVE spending and receiving. Anything in life that we LOVE, we eventually excel at it. Love making money. Love spending it. You can look at anything, sports, science, martial arts, dance, sex, talking, meditating, rock-climbing, breathing, massage, whatever — and if a person really truly passionately loves it, then that person excels at it. If a person doesn’t love something, they tend to half-ass it, not really understand it, and certainly not spend much time or energy bringing that experience into their life — they’d much rather do OTHER things they love.
Sustainably rich people love giving and receiving. They really really do. They understand that whatever they invest in or spend on, helps the world. They understand that every dollar they make/earn helps the world.
Take a moment and think about your attitudes towards the money. Do you become panicky, upset, worried, frustrated or ‘negative’ in any way when you ‘have to spend’ or ‘spend too much’ or ‘spend at all?’
Are you grateful to be able to spend on a new experience or helping someone else? When you receive even a tiny amount, how do you feel about that receiving? Do you grumble its only a penny or a dime? Do you feel like its a drop in the bucket and you’ll never get out of this hole you’re in? Or are you happy that you got it and see it as a sign of more to come? Do you happily talk about this one monetary find and eagerly think about other ways you can earn or create it? Are you grateful, and do you value the money, looking forward to again spending it to help yourself and the world?
These questions can help you figure out if deep down, you love money and physical wealth, and why its wonderful to have. If you don’t love it, and you`re not comfortable with it`s wave-like nature and ebb-and-flow, you’ll get the bare minimum.
Know your own value, and offer it. The world loves an individual who lovingly and givingly provides value. The better you are at knowing your own value, and offering your unique value out into the world, the bigger your reward.
Providing value comes FIRST, then the cashflow.
Ride the wave. Love the ebb-and-flow, understand money, give money a great big hug, both the giving and receiving of it.
If you have thoughts on the ebb-and-flow of money, or if you just love money, tell us in the comments section!
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