Asking and Receiving

A lot of people have trouble with asking for what they want. I think most of us have been scolded as kids when we asked for something – maybe we were told not to be greedy, or that there wasn’t enough for everyone.

The people that told us these things assumed that there is a limited supply of whatever you wanted, and that you did not deserve to have more than anyone else, or sometimes anything at all. These people operated from a “scarcity mindset”. A lot of us grew up with that view of the world.

Sometimes there truly is a limited amount of something in a particular place, at a particular time, like only a dozen cupcakes at a party. But most of the time, there is more than enough to go around. This is the “abundance mindset”.

Imagine standing on a beach with a lot of other people. The ocean represents everything on this earth that you could ever want. You look out at the ocean and realize that no matter how much you take out of it, you will never drain it, and you can never deprive someone else next to you from taking however much they want. The ocean represents the abundance of our world. Look down at your hands. What kind of container do you have? Is it a teaspoon? A coffee mug? A bucket? A kids' play pool? Or something bigger? The containers we have depend on how we grew up.

Asking is the beginning of receiving. Make sure that you don’t go to the ocean with a teaspoon. At least take a bucket so the kids won’t laugh.  –  Jim Rohn

When you operate from an abundance mindset, you realize that asking for (and getting) what you want does not prevent anyone else from getting what they want. Going without, or not taking what you need does not automatically put those resources in the hands of others. They have to ask for what they want, and do what they need to get it.

We all don’t want the same things, either. Everybody does not want designer clothes or to own a race car. Everybody does not want to live on a farm with cows and horses.

We can all ask for what we want, and we all deserve to get what we want.

What do you think of this? Is this a new concept? What did your container look like? Can you upgrade to a bigger one now? Leave a comment!

Until next time, remember… We are all magnificent.