To live a pure unselfish life, one must count nothing as one’s own in the midst of abundance. Buddha
“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.”
Wayne Dyer
Abundance is a process of letting go; that which is empty can receive.
Bryant H. McGill
“Not what we have But what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.”
Epicurus
The key to abundance is meeting limited circumstances with unlimited thoughts.
Marianne Williamson
“A wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart”.
Jonathon Swift
For most people, the idea of abundance is rooted in the belief of counting or comparing the size and value of our possessions, income or assets. In contrast, the quotes above point toward a higher definition of abundance. One based in thoughts, not things; a principle rather than a possession. I have been studying supply, abundance and success for many years and here are some highlights from my notes. I have found that thoughts on abundance and supply are rarely new, ideas get recycled and made new over and over again. This article is no exception, it is mostly a mashup of ideas that have resonated with me as I have made them my own.
Mindset – Fear or Trust
In my experience, most people come from one of two places, a place of trust or a place of fear. The former is much more rare. If your thinking is fear based, your current thoughts are thinking is influenced by both the resentment or regret of what has happened to you in the past and the worry about what is going to happen in the future. As Wayne Dyer said in the quote above, abundance is something we tune into. If we are filled with fear, no matter how hard we listen we are tuned into the wrong station.
Gratitude
Here is the typical gratitude model that is widely accepted: something good happens and we are thankful. But I’d like to have you consider that there are three different levels of gratitude.
- Level 1: Something good happens and we show or state our gratitude. We are in the present looking back. This is the most common but it’s conditional.
- Level 2: Something good is happening and we recognize it as good and live in the moment. This is the idea of pure joy. When we take the time to analyze it and then be thankful, we are back into level 1. This is in the now, being happy with what is.
- Level 3: Being grateful for what hasn’t yet come to be. Gratitude in advance. This type of gratitude isn’t possible in the mindset of fear or worry. It is only possible when one knows and acknowledges the good that was, is and will be. This is the most enlightened and rare type of gratitude.
The Source of Abundance
Abundance, no matter how we measure it, is in the realm of ideas, not in things. When you get right down to it, every fortune worth having began with a thought. Picture in your mind a person who to you most represents the ideal of abundance. Who did you picture? Oprah? Richard Branson? Bill Gates? Warren Buffett? The guys who started Google? With each of those people the source of their current abundance first started with a thought. Their abundance and supply didn’t come from things, it came from ideas. And so it is for all of us. Our daily supply comes from what we think about. Ideas are thoughts and thoughts are unlimited. Since we have infinite income and abundance in proportion to the grandeur of our thoughts, our number one job at all times is to be listening for inspired thoughts. Your business, whatever it is, is in developing, cultivating, and expressing ideas. These ideas are what create abundance. When we are thinking thoughts of fear, distraction or limitation we are not open to the thoughts that will really allow us to experience the fruits of abundance.
Check Your Motives
Our supply and abundance is directly correlated with the value we add to others. The more you give the more you receive and the more you withhold the more you stifle abundance. If our goal is to accumulate things, like a paycheck, a car, a large bank account, or a big house, then our priorities are backwards. Abundance isn’t in the ownership of things or the possession of money it’s the principle of love, gratitude, selflessness and trust. If we are worshiping the money we have in the bank as a thing of substance, of worth, then we have the wrong idea. Check your motives regarding abundance. Are they of giving or having. Lift thought above personal ambition and pride and attain the universal sense of love which blesses all. We must have the humility to know that our supply and abundance comes from an infinite source and we are just expressing that principle.
Four Steps To Abundance
In summary here are the ideas from above boiled down into action steps.
- You must realize that your supply and abundance isn’t creating something new. It’s realizing what is already present. We don’t have to create abundance. The supply of new ideas is ever present and unlimited. It can’t be dammed up, diverted or delayed. The focus isn’t that you need a different situation, more income or better investments, it’s that when you are listening to and aligning yourself with good and listening to your own good ideas, the actions you need to take to get what you want are revealed. It’s all predicated on the right mindset. One of abundance not scarcity.
- Define a definite desire. Desire is prayer when it comes from the right motives. So first check your motives. If your motives are not aligned with love and selflessness; you giving rather than getting, you won’t get anywhere. Having a specific desire about how you want your life to look sets your mind in motion to receive the ideas that will help you toward that goal. Listen to those thoughts and follow them. Take the first step, the subsequent steps will reveal themselves.
- Be persistent in pursuing your desire. Abundance doesn’t happen overnight, so keep your desire clearly in mind and have the courage to implement the ideas that you get. Many times the path doesn’t make sense. Follow it anyway. Make a concerted effort to listen for the ideas that will align you with abundance. If you become distracted or think that you already have it figured out the path to abundance will become faint, like losing a radio station on a road trip.
- Have complete faith that your desire will be fulfilled. As you think about your desires and take action, you may have many thoughts that start with “but…”, “if only”, etc. These are negative thoughts that are sent to throw you off track. You must turn away each and every negative thought that comes to you along the way. Abundance is unlimited expectation and every limiting thought you can come up with and believe is in essence turning away from your desires. This is important! Turning away the negativity and scarcity will keep the pathway clear and let inspired, creative thoughts run through you and lead you to your desires. This last sentence is key. You have a part in the process. The right situation isn’t going to just plop on your front doorstep, but it’s already out there and God will lead you to it through your own thoughts. But only if you allow yourself to hear and believe them.