Your Abundance in Waiting

I’ve been thinking about abundance.

As in: What does it mean to have abundance?

This question might make you think about money.

Resources.

Time.

But what does abundance look like in relationships?

Abundance in the grace we give to ourselves or others?

Abundance in how expansively we think about what’s possible from here?

John—a delightful leader I went through coach training with—recently challenged a group of our friends to think about this. He asked us to consider abundance, and to ask the question, “What are you giving up?”

I found the combination of those two ideas intriguing.

John pointed to the fact that we often talk and think about abundance, but it might be more important to think about what we need to let go of, versus what we can garner or add to.

What might you let go of?

And what if giving up those very things led you to having even more to spare?

For me, these questions create a Zen koan—a paradoxical question to meditate on. 

What is the relationship between abundance and letting go?

I also read my friend John’s question in another way. 

Imagine you could have it all—everything you, your family, and your community need. What are you already giving up of that potential abundance without realizing it? What if the abundance is there waiting in escrow for us? What of that abundance are we not able to imagine or see yet?

It’s so easy to slip into a scarcity mindset. 

It’s so easy to think about there not being enough.

(Because—for many people—there isn’t enough. There’s not enough food or water in communities to sustain their residents. There’s not enough basic safety in day-to-day life for some. There’s not enough joy or happiness for others who are depressed or deeply anxious.)

But I believe in the possibility of abundance for any human being.

I believe we have a deep longing to connect with the greater fullness in our lives.

To live into some greater part of ourselves.

Wayne Dyer once wrote that “Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.”

What abundance have you not tuned into yet?

What have you given up on? 

Any ideas, relationships, or roles that you once wanted but you think you can’t have? And is it possible those things aren’t as far from your grasp as you think—if you are truly honest with yourself? Where might you have too tight a grip on a scarcity mindset?

When I tune in—and note what I let go of too soon—I recognize that the thing that has always brought me abundance is writing. 

I LOVE writing.

It brings me joy.

It helps me process the world.

It grounds me.

And although I write a blog once a week, short pieces for social, and regular content for my consulting work—I have always wanted more. I used to write poems on napkins. I have wanted to be a writer since I was about 10 years old. I wish I could spend all my days and hours that way.

But I knew early in life that being a poet could be painful. 

Isolating. 

Not financially rewarding. 

And just like any form of art—it can be terrifying.

So, I gave up on that potential abundance early on. Instead, I found making a living in publishing was more practical. 

But here’s the thing: Through my experiences working in publishing, I developed marketing and communications skills. I then applied those in the non-profit sector. And working for the Y, I grew facilitation and leadership skills that I could use as a consultant. And that led me to coaching too.  

It has been a path of abundance in so many ways. 

I’ve been lucky enough to have a rewarding career that has enabled me to live well and to grow and develop as a person. And it's still going.

But even with all of that and the satisfaction of my day-to-day life, I still love to dream: What abundance is still possible?

Those days when I fall into judgment or anxiety or worry, what abundant perspectives am I missing out on?

Where might I create more abundance for others? 

British writer Eden Phillpotts—who notably wrote 100 novels in his lifetime (yes, 100!)—said that “The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to get sharper.”

That’s what I want to be in the business of. Tracking magical things that are patiently waiting in escrow for us all.

Can you imagine right now what might be out there waiting for you?

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