Marianne Williamson recently said: “A revolution of love is sweeping the planet. Fear has material resources, but love has cosmic support. Ultimately, love will prevail because only love is real”
I believe that love also has material resources.
Think about Warren Buffett donating virtually all of his immense fortune (50 billion) to Bill Gates who is doing work to help all over the world to, among other things: eradicate malaria in Africa, promote small farming, saving kids from diarrhea in India, etc.
Here are 32 suggestions to bring ourselves in alignment with abundance:
1.- Find out what your passion is: Feeling stuck or non-motivated is a big sign that we are not passionate about what we are doing. There are countless books and workshops and seminars that help with the basic steps to uncover what is it we like. Or you could also try to write down 10 things you love to do, never mind the money part. Just find out and start including the things you love into your daily life, even if for a few minutes, because it is a well known fact that where attention goes energy flows.
2.-Trust. The foundation for abundance comes from following our own passions and trusting that things are unfolding as they should. One way to start is to go throughout one whole day knowing that everything that happens is right, in alignment with what our plan and destiny is, trusting that we are moving in the right direction. When it comes to trust, fake it till you make it, applies as much as in any other area.
3.-Learn to receive. For example: How many times do you receive a compliment and deflect it with “oh this old thing?” Catch yourself! because you are blocking the flow of giving and receiving which are both sides of the same coin.
4.-“Bless that which you want” goes a Hawaiian saying. So! maybe it bothers you that some yoga teacher is famous and makes lots of money… bless that. Someone is enlightened? bless that. Someone gets to travel and see the world, and you would like that, bless them! When I learned about this Hawaiian tradition it took me by surprise because for years I had been living under the false assumption that rich people were inherently bad. They are not. Not all.
5.-Prayer is perhaps the closest way to connect with spirit, especially when it is true prayer, as in a direct conversation with God. I like what Oprah said: “If you all you pray is “Thank you”, that is enough”
6.-Say what you want about visualization, and I will say that when combined with down-to-earth reality-awareness, it works. I have made many collages in my life with images of things I wanted (lots of yoga pictures), kept it cool, but did them anyway. A collage of what you want brings about two things, 1- a clear picture of the things you want and 2- a clarification of where the energy should flow towards within the present moment.
7.-Wayne Dyer has a special CD dedicated to help manifestations come into life. In its most basic form it consist of a morning practice of chanting “Aum” while visualizing that which you want to attract, and and chanting “Om” at night while being grateful for all the well being already present in our lives. CD here.
8.- The Gayatri Mantra is the most powerful japa (mantra repetition) meditation know to the Indian world. It is said to contain all the mantras in the Vedas (cream of Indian philosophy) and to bring about 33 specific benefits, including abundance, and cows. I know, that one -which is #33- left me scratching my head. Wonder how that symbolism would translate into the Western world.
9.-Say yes. Adopting an attitude of non-resistance is the best way to let things in and to aid the universe as it folds itself into new shapes to create the realities we would like to attract. Even if confused it is best to say “yes” first (using common sense of course), and see what happens.
10.- Learn to give. On the other side of #3 there is always a #10, of course. Learning to give is key, and not just in money but in energy, time, space, dedication, gratitude.
11.-Create. Realize that you are an artist of life. Make your life a work of craft.
12.-Be generous with your time and energy.
13.-Meditate. I have found this method very effective.
14.-Use your resources effectively. This means that we use what we already have in an efficient way, trusting that more or better is on the way (if that is what you want), but informing the the universe in capital letters that we are happy as it is, right now.
15.-Learn the value of money. There is no easy way to go around this one, I suppose it applies more to teenagers or people who never had a job, but it could also apply to me, in every day situations. I guess most readers of this blog somewhat know that money is valuable, and needs to be honored and respected, and of course, used efficiently.
16.-Treat money with respect. Bless it because just like any other it is an energy that is very much a provider of our well-being. Treat it with respect, welcome it in.
17.-Be grateful for at least 32 things you have each day, including a roof over your head, food, light, eyes, books, hands, blog reading
18.-Do yoga. OK this one comes from the lineage of Pattabhi Jois whose mantra is: “do your practice, all is coming“. In my most recent trip to India I was surprised to note that the head of the current Ashtanga lineage -Sharath Jois- had one answer for every question each student would pose. “Do your practice”, “Do Yoga”. I realize afterwards that “do your practice” really means connect with spirit, with our own truth. That is the most important thing. That is yoga.
19.-Connect with spirit daily. In light of point 18, it is important to remember to establish this connection on a daily basis. Connection can be established by a simple prayer, asking before we make decisions, trusting that we will hear the answer, following our gut, listening to our instincts.
20.-Dedicate everything you do to the divine. We do not really own anything, not our homes, not our bodies, not our lives. We are merely renters here on this earth for a short period of time. On the same light, we are instruments of divine influence. We channel the light that was given to us. Our work is to put in the effort and follow our truth.
21.-Know your self worth. I even have some trouble with this one but can recognize that when we add value to the lives of others, when we enrich and help then we do have value. Putting a number on that may be a bit more complicated and it might need help, consulting with others, checking with general guidelines of the planet we live in etc, but there is a number, and it is good to know it.
22.-Add value to others. Always strive to offer help, to solve a problem, to find out where there is a need and fill it.
23.-Offer valuable stuff for free. Take Google for example, did you know that when they started -and apparently even to this day- the first thing they ask before doing anything is: Will it be cool? Will people like it? Will it add value?. They are not thinking money, they are thinking creatively.
24.-Learn to charge for services too. As long as supermarkets accept only money it is fair game to accept currency in return for services. Having no self worth or expecting to live under the archetype of the starving artist is very 1990’s… and not even real in this world, at least in the Westerner world which is the one I write from.
25.-Promote your work. Non-promotion is just reverse ego. A way of showing how much we do not promote, or to convince ourselves that we are humble. There is nothing wrong with promoting if we know that we are adding value.
26.-Clean up your vocabulary. I know, this one seems to make it into every one of my lists, and there is a reason why, a clean vocabulary means mastery over verbal communication, and when we speak with elegance we are more effective.
27.-Create spaces and silences in conversations. This allows for new things to come in. Once the intention to create something new is out it is through blank spaces that the universe gets to fill in.
28.-Listen more than you talk. Allow new ideas in, new energies, new ways of thinking.
29.-See what is is that people need, keep in tune. Strive to give a hand to at least one person a week. In a significant way. Chopra once said: “give that which you want“, which points to also being specific. Do you want your business to thrive? helping others in the business thrive may be just the door-opener.
30.-Compile lists of things that can help 10 people you know, and send them to them. Make sure the lists are useful
31.-Use this beautiful visualization from the wonderful book by Shakti Gawain “Creative Visualization” (I am paraphrasing): Imagine exactly what you want and put it in an imaginary pink bubble, then release it to the universe, see the pink bubble fly into space and affirm: “Thank you Universe because this or something better is now manifesting for me, in totally harmonious and satisfying ways for the highest good of all concerned. So be it, so it is“.
32.-Surrender. The Gita teaches us that we offer everything we do, including our own “being human” to the Divine. The Gita also teaches us the way of action, we live in the world and it is OK to have desires, we can’t block them otherwise we create new problems.
So, there is nothing wrong with desires, but we must remember that a higher intelligence is at work, so if we do not get something specific that we thought we wanted we will notice down the line why and learn, or we may never find out, but in the end we release all outcomes and let the will of our Higher Power direct our lives. Whatever will be, will be, and it will contribute to our spiritual development.
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