As we move into the holiday season and a time of gift giving, it’s also the ideal time to explore what it means to receive and how to do this with more intentionality.
With that in mind, I’m going to dive deeply into the concept of receiving and how- especially for those of us (givers) for whom that is difficult- we can allow ourselves to experience even more of it!
If you’re wondering why this is important, let me clarify.
In truth, receiving IS the entire game. What I mean is that God/the universe/universal mind/conscious awareness- or however you think about higher self/spirit is ALWAYS trying to give us more love, goodness, support and help.
It is US who are constantly limiting our ability to receive all the goodness that wants to come to us.
One of the biggies for me is around the idea of control and the antithesis of that which is surrender.
Receiving is a form of surrendering. When we allow ourselves to open and let love in. It’s not a doing, a pushing, or a striving. In fact, it’s the opposite. It’s a releasing, an allowing.
Again, it comes down to the story you are telling yourself related to self worth.
Are you worthy of love, of generosity, kindness, happiness, abundance? Can you expand your capacity of self worth?
So how can we loosen up our thoughts, beliefs and need for control and allow even more joy and abundance in?
I’ve outlined 10 tools we can utilize to help us. Ready to dive in?
1. Beliefs
One way to think about ourselves, our perceptions of who we are and the world in which we live in is to ask ourselves this question: What story am I telling myself about _______?
For this exercise, let’s fill in the blank with this phrase:
What story am I telling myself about lack or limitation? About what I think I deserve.
How would you answer that?
When I was in London last June, I attended a Course in Miracles retreat. One of the two-part questions we did in an inquiry has stayed with me all these months later. It relates to this exact idea, and so I’ll share it with you now.
Part 1: On a scale of 1-100% how much does God (input here whatever word you prefer) love you?
Part 2: On a scale of 1-100% how much are you letting God (input here whatever word you prefer) love you?
This is directly related to the story we are telling ourselves about how much goodness we believe we deserve.
If you knew that God (source/abundance) wanted to give you everything, what might need to change in you to allow that to happen?
Spend some time with this and you just might be amazed at what happens!
2. Help
If you’ve recognized that you want to be more receptive to all the good that wants to come into your life, then you also HAVE to be okay asking for help.
Yes, it can feel difficult
Yes, it can make you feel vulnerable
Yes, it might mean you don’t know all the answers
Do it anyway.
3. Accept it
The other piece about asking for help is then accepting the support when you receive it, right?
It’s one thing to ask, but then we need to allow someone to ACTUALLY do it – without micro-managing, criticizing or feeling guilty.
Maybe they don’t do it as well as you. Maybe they end up doing it differently. Is that wrong? How can you relax and know that everything is okay even when you aren’t doing it all?
I allow others to support me, knowing they are capable, competent and trustworthy. Would saying that help?
4. Thanks
Saying thank you, or expressing your appreciation is a huge way to keep that receiving lane open. The caveat? You must mean it. So say it with genuine feeling.
Thank you for cleaning up the kitchen
Thank you for finishing those emails
Thank you for driving me to my appointment
As Meister Eckhart famously said, “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough."
5. Gratitude
Utilizing a gratitude practice (as we explored last month) can help you remain open and receptive to the goodness and abundance that wants to flow to you. Is there any particular practice that resonated with you? One that you could deepen into?
+gratitude for your day
+gratitude for your life
6. Adopt a Daily Practice of Appreciation
What does this mean?
In a sense, it’s viewing the world not as half empty, but as half full. It’s seeing the beauty around you as well as the opportunities that are always here for you. After all, what we focus on expands, so pick the good things, the positives to focus on.
7. Power Up Your Visualization
Most people, when we visualize our future – healing, success, etc.- do it in our heads. They are thoughts and ideas. But what if they were more than that? What if you invited your feelings into that picture of your future? And how about your body?
The invitation here is to genuinely feel in to what it would be like to be living that optimal experience? Both in your heart as well as in your body.
Take a moment to really let it sink into you.
Can you feel the difference, and how much more powerful it is!?!
8. Amplify Your Intention
Again, when we use these practices, visualization, intention – there are layers to efficacy. And just as I mentioned above, the same principle holds true for our intentions. Are they truly aligned with your heart? Are they grounded in your truth – your inner truth?
Do an evaluation, then fine tune any that might need tweaking.
9. Create Space
We’ve been exploring how to open to receive more good, right?
That means we need to have SPACE for it.
Think about this as both an external and internal exercise. We need space for new things to land, both in our physical environments as well as within our inner world.
What needs to be let go of to make room for the new?
It may be time to do an inventory – both of your physical world as well as your inner beliefs and ways of being. What is being asked to be released?
10. Celebrate
It’s so easy to forget to acknowledge what we’ve received. So be sure that you honor and celebrate it, however small or big. Research shows the impact acknowledging praise, thanks, and positive feedback has on our nervous system. BUT it means we need to pause and allow ourselves to take it in- to receive that goodness- for 15 seconds before we respond.
Acknowledge the wins!
Not only does it feel good but it also creates a positive loop so more will come your way.
To illustrate this, here are the first two lines from Lesson 315 in A Course in Miracles: “Each day a thousand treasures come to me with every passing moment. I am blessed with gifts throughout the day, in value far beyond all things of which I can conceive.”
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Image courtesy of Natalia Blauth on Usplash