ARE YOU LIVING ABUNDANTLY?

Christmas can be a time of celebration or a time of feeling emptiness. Emptiness – because we feel alone, or because we have had a difficult year or because we are experiencing scarcity or having “too little”. Emptiness is the feeling we get when we realize another year has slipped through our fingers and we haven’t made it count towards our goals or things didn’t turn out for us after giving our all. We feel depleted.

From the dictionary: Abundance: an extremely plentiful or over-sufficient quantity or supply: overflowing fullness, abundance of the heart. Affluence, wealth. ” From this, we can see that “abundance” is not limited to just monetary wealth. Let’s investigate these concepts and see where you stand…

Many people live in expensive homes and appear to have it all externally, but they do not live in “abundance”. They are “depressed”. They live with a cocktail of pressures that fuel psychological distress and poor mental well being. They compare themselves to others and don’t feel good enough. They feel inferior because they aren’t driving the latest car or they are overweight. They feel unloved and so attempt to “buy” love. And, yet others may be on a strict budget and not have the money to buy everything they want, but they still “live in abundance”. They live abundantly because their mindset is an abundance mindset and they make a decision to be happy and fulfilled.

This mindset is the “abundance paradox”. Even in what some would call poverty, it is possible to still live in the abundance mindset. This then is the foundation for abundant living in every area of life.

Money is only one expression of abundance and, as we have seen, doesn’t create abundance in all the other areas where abundance can be measured. As well as money, being in good health, having firm loving relationships, peace of mind, mental clarity, a strong spiritual belief and purpose in life bigger than yourself all produce a totality of abundance. True abundance is having it all, not just a big house on the hill and even cash in the bank. It isn’t the label on our jeans or the brand of car we drive, but by the way, we view life. Our life wheel being in balance produces real abundance.

As we look at Christmas, at all the presents that we give and receive, the most precious comes from my granddaughter who “made this especially for you Nana.” She saved her pocket money and purchased the materials to make her own handmade gift with love and care because she knew I would like it. It hangs on my office wall. I call that being the richest person in the world. Relationships and connection with those people in your life that are important to you.

The smallest experience brings joy to the “Abundance” people. They smile frequently and delight in hearing a bird sing and simply watching a sunset. They aren’t rushed and take time to smell the roses. People are just that – people – not objects to be manipulated. Abundance people are life enrichers and want to share their joys and want to be with you, gathering experiences and remembering the memories!

Yes, they are aware that problems are a fact of life, but they don’t waste life worrying about something that may or may not happen. They simply deal with challenges as they show up.

Abundance people don’t fall prey to the belief that money will answer their problems. They aren’t negative about money but understand that money is simply a tool to be used. Giving and receiving expensive presents don’t bring peace; it is having a relationship with the Prince of Peace! Now that is real Abundance!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Yvonne is an author, life coach and cancer survivor. Thirty-two years ago, doctors gave Yvonne 6 weeks to live after diagnosing her with black melanoma. This mother of 3 little kids did not give up and she was able to fully recover using natural methods. Do you want to know what her secret weapon was? You can find it in her book “Why Me? Kicking Cancer and Other Life Changing Stuff”