To build on a previous post, Are You Receiving with an Attitude of Gratitude?, Monique MacKinnon, Creativity Expert/Energetic Evolution and someone who I collaborate with online, has give us this mental challenge:
- Ever heard the popular saying, “Be careful what you wish for, or else you just might get it”? The irony of this statement is that while you will receive what you asked for (aka your gift):
Result #1: It will not necessarily be what you bargained for.
What you need to know: You cannot bargain with God, the Universe, or the Divine. What (s)he dishes out to you is food for fodder and follow up. For instance, if you and your spouse want to spend more time with the family and the latter loses his or her job, you will have received what you asked for. However, you may not be fond of how this gift showed up in your life. Similarly, if you will soon be experiencing the empty nest syndrome and the both or just one of you has to temporarily relocate so you can find work, this may be happening to strengthen the respect, gratitude and bond between the two of you. Consequently, your relationship will be called to go through a shift so that it can withstand this inevitable change in life stages. How you manage this change (with a focus on faith or fear) will determine the future direction and quality of your relationship. That is, if your subconscious is filled with fear while your conscious mind is focused on faith, you will experience external conflicts (including chaos and confusion) because you will be internally conflicted. So, it is important that you practice consistently focusing on faith in action, instead of fear in action or faith without action. Got it?
Result #2: You will like parts of what you receive, while you may dislike other aspects.
What you need to know: Whatever is still a duality in your life, you will attract this lack of harmonizing to you. Case in point, if you are an intellect and truly respect that about yourself, the Universe may send you gifts that will help you strengthen the weak link in your Create Prosperity Formula, between Decision and Action. And you will respond to this cue to get out of your head and into your body and trusting your intuition or inspiration in one of two ways: You will make a yes or no decision. Or you will choose to not decide, which is still a decision.
Result #3: You will never feel 100 percent ready or prepared for this gift.
What you need to know: In fact, you may even initially resist the gift. As Nicky VanValkenburgh had mentioned in her article Put your brain’s “overactive security guard” to work for you!, “your amydgala is an overactive security guard, always trying to protect you from negative emotions”. It also works hard to maintain your status quo. For example, if you are called to be more real and intimate with your clients, while you may attract an ideal client (= your wish), you will have times where you are challenged (called growth spurts) to be more real and intimate than you have ever been before. If you believe that intimacy is meant to be all neat and tidy and not all emotionally messy, then you may resist this opportunity to grow your intimacy muscle and it will feel painful. Or conversely, you may embrace it and all involved with benefit from it.
So you see, this is how can you become masterful at receiving: Become aware (not ignorant) of what you need to know, starting with the three points above. Then become fully committed to using and sharing with your loved ones and peeps the gifts you ask for and receive.
I could comment beyond saying that this is a powerful message for anyone having difficulty receiving. But I want to give you room to say, what key idea stands out for you? Can you relate to the experiences?
Good post. It is all in how you see the situation. 🙂
Like this gal: A centipede is an inchworm that has switched to the metric system. #pun
She is a adaptive thinker.
I miss your regular pun humor! Thanks Jim.
Agree that you have to be careful what you wish for since thoughts exist.
Good example you made of “if you and your spouse want to spend more time with the family and the latter loses his or her job, you will have received what you asked for”. No use complaining if you had wished for it…
Pat
Result#1 Reminds me of a woman that wanted her child to never grow up. As it turned out she had a disability and remained like a infant for the rest of her life.
Result#2 this is generally where I fall.I am not ready for what I ask for. If I want more business I fear I will not have time for the increase and stop before I receive the benefits.
I remember many years ago how uncomfortable my husband felt with receiving. He is a true introvert. He still has difficulty but when he receives as well as gives, he ceases to be “Rob the fog” That person that people don’t seem to remember.
The balance of giving and receiving is always a challenge and that is why living with infinite love and gratitude helps.
Keep up the good posts Catarina.
I think we all have little of each at times and – so the flow doesn’t go. Thanks Julia.
That seems to be a good summary Catarina. Our thoughts ARE things. Thanks.
Thank you for both the perspective and the example.
Pat
Pat,
Number 3 reminds me of the saying that you may not recognise opportunities when they present themselves. I have found by opening the mind to the possibilities and not prejudging then you relax a little and embrace the gifts. Overthinking can be detrimental.
It’s often just a bit of a reframe that is needed isn’t Susan? An elevator not working could be thought of as “a least it goes up and people can repair it to go down.” Embrace what is positive. Thanks Susan.
Maybe the key is not to ask for too much. My attitude is that you need to give before you get what you wish for. Let the exchange of “gifts” between you and your loved ones happen organically. We need to spend more time in “being” in a relationship and less time talking about it. Then the gift of love will flow each way.
Pat,
Very deep and inspirational post. I think some people don’t “receive” well because they don’t feel they deserve to receive something positive. This, of course, brings the whole self-esteem issue into play which is slightly outside your topic area but I thought it might add a different perspective.
A healthy balance of giving and receiving is naturally the best formula for a caring relationship.
Thanks for sharing your insights,
Julie
Momma always taught me to be grateful no matter what I have been given. Even neckties and argyle socks;)
Recieving something generally means you have gained something, so while it may not be what you wanted, or have arrived in the manner you would prefer, you should not forget that you have gained in at least some aspect.
True some gifts may not equal the loss or change that accompanies their arrival, but you cannot control everything, and opportunity is often the biggest gift that comes with change, we just don’t notice it.
Jeannette, for me it’s being a Go-Giver which means giving and allowing something to be received – but not necessarily in a straight line. I’ve learned to ask for MORE.
Julie I think you are on to something with it bringing up the self-esteem issue: maybe about feeling worthy.
Paul, what you say is so true. Or what your momma taught you – be grateful period. I think that is a key to receiving. To just be grateful for it all.
Thank you!
Patricia. I just loved this article and retweeted it. Thank you for the insight and inspiration. This coming week my mantra will be Faith over fear.
keyuri
Thank you Keyuri. I love that mantra! It sums things up doesn’t it?