Welcome to another edition of my Weekly Journal! I use this space to share a bit about jewelry, and a lot about my journey from lawyer to jewelry business owner. In this week's journal entry, I'm talking about abundance and why it doesn't depend on your outer circumstances (yes, even in a pandemic). What do you think of when you hear the word abundance? Most people think about money, right? Wrong! Abundance is about realizing that everything you need is available to you, whether that be money, happiness, love, food, health, etc. The problem is, most of us don't truly believe this. Why should we? Society teaches us differently. Society teaches us to have a lack mentality. Growing up, it's common to hear and believe that there isn't enough to go around, that you have to fight for what you want, and that you need to compete with others to get what you want. Think about it. Even in school we're taught that grades happen on a curve and only so many people in the class can achieve an A+. This sets the foundation for competing with others later in life for jobs and promotions. In short, most of us grow up learning "lack" is normal and "abundance" is a pipe dream. 

I grew up like any regular kid, hearing and believing these things too. It wasn't until after I quit my lawyer job in my 30's that I really understood what abundance means. I've read a lot of books on abundance because the "science" behind it truly fascinates me. I really wanted to understand why some people work hard at an office job their whole life and barely make it by, while others seem to succeed at becoming happy, wealthy, and healthy relatively easily without pushing papers around in an office all day. The latter group seemed to be having a much better time here on earth and I wanted to figure out how to get me some of that.

If you read enough of these books, you start to realize they're all saying the same thing. Abundance is an internal thing. And it's largely based on what you believe, not your outside circumstances. This is HUGE! If you've been reading my journal entries, you probably see where I'm going with this. Your beliefs shape your experiences and if you believe there isn't enough to go around, you're going to experience there not being enough to go around. If you believe that everything you need will be provided, that's what you're going to experience. It truly, honestly is that simple. The problem is, most of us are not even aware that we have lacking beliefs, let alone the courage to change them and choose differently. 

I'd love if you tried a little experiment. Let's start with money since money is a tangible object that's easy to measure (unlike, say, an abundance of health). For one week, I want you to repeat this phrase over and over and over again: I have enough money to spend, to share, and to save. Say it in the morning, say it before you go to bed, say it all day long. It doesn't need to be out loud - it can just be running through your head. Set an alarm on your phone that rings every hour and say it then too. Every time you use your debit or credit card, say it as you swipe the card or enter your password. Every time you look at your bank account, say it then. And, all week long, take special care to notice all of the money flowing to you. And don't forget that money flows in ways aside from dollar bills. Perhaps you need to get your car's oil changed and the mechanic happens to be running a special on oil changes that week. Or maybe you're signing a new apartment lease and there's a "one month free rent" special at the time you sign. Or perhaps you park your car in a meter spot and there's already enough money in the meter for you to run your errand. Count everything. Be appreciative of all the different ways money flows to you. Do this experiment whole-heartedly for one week and I'm telling you, you are going to notice more money flowing to you. Try it! When we believe we are abundant, abundance shows up.

Still don't believe me? I invite you to read all the books you can find on abundance. Read enough of them and, like me, you'll start to realize they're all saying the same thing but in different ways. Like me, you'll start to think, "If all of these authors (who by the way span centuries, genders, and races) are saying basically the same thing, there's gotta be something to this." You'll start to really believe that abundance is an internal belief and, therefore, that you have 100% control over whether or not you experience abundance.

Once you start to see abundance flowing in your finances, then you can branch out to other areas like an abundance of love, and abundance of health, etc. It's the same mental concept, over and over again. Money is easy to start with because it's tangible and you can literally count the results. 

I'll leave you with this. If you don't believe this can work for you, if you're reading this and your mind is going "whatever", please please please be courageous enough to examine your own thoughts. Thoughts shape everything we do, everything we experience, everything we have. They are literally the most powerful force we have, yet no one teaches us how to use them. I truly do believe there will come a day where everyone is taught this in school or from their parents - where everyone will "workout" their minds as much as they workout their bodies, but we just aren't there yet. There are so many people who understand this now, though. If it works for everyone else, why can't it work for you? Be courageous enough to examine the thoughts that say this can't work, this is dumb, this is a waste of time, this is not for me. Those thoughts are trying to keep you stuck in your comfort zone. It's no fun trying to change! It requires effort and some work. Our brains, if you haven't noticed, like to be comfortable and like to predict repeatable patterns. Here's the good news though - once you put a lot of work into believing in abundance, that will be become your default setting. In other words, abundance will become your brain's comfort zone and lack will start to feel foreign. 

Remember - change doesn't happen overnight, but thought by thought! Cheers to an abundant remainder of 2020.

xoxo,

Stacy