How to Create an Abundant Lifestyle
Have you ever closed your eyes in hopes of fully absorbing the warmth of the sun upon your face? Or maybe you have tried to savor the sound that the breeze makes when it dances atop the waves. Perhaps you’ve taken a moment to embrace the soft exfoliation of the sand between your toes? To revel in any of these things is the process of becoming aware. The more aware you become, the more abundance you will bring into your life.
We all have that one self-centering place. The ocean, the woods, the sky. For me it’s the mountains. Unfortunately, I live in the center of the United States. However, most days just being outdoors is enough to center myself and find peace.
Take a moment. Forget the load of laundry that’s staring at you from the corner of the room, hold off on filing that paperwork you’ve been procrastinating on, and think about your life for a moment.
What are you thankful for? I’m not talking about your marriage, your kids, or successfully creating your dream career. Yes, those are blessings we should be thankful for, but they’re a bit cliche don’t you think? (Insert Miss America Speech here). I’m joking! But I’m going to need you to dig a little deeper on this one.
We tend to get wrapped up in busy weekly routines. So much so, that we neglect to notice the sheer beauty that rest just beyond our windowsills. We ignore, that to simply wake up, is a privilege we should be thankful for because others aren’t so lucky.
Here’s some tough love I had to tell myself during the many years it took me to become more aware:
“Stop feeling sorry for yourself.” “Stop being envious of people “better off” than you.” “Stop negative thoughts and feelings towards yourself.” “Get off your ass and choose the life you want!”
You only get one shot to experience all it has to offer. Hiding behind your fears and doubts is just a few ways you can waste it.
Many of us hate eating healthy and anything that has to do with physical exertion. I’ll tell you something. Why would our bodies be created to sweat if they weren’t meant to? Why would our brains be able to make choices if it wasn’t supposed to? Why would our heart rates be able to increase significantly and not kill you, if it wasn’t intended to beat faster? Life is a thrill and it’s full of ups and downs! Every setback and comeback provide us with choices, and it is up to us to choose which direction we wish to go when presented with those positive or negative situations.
Your mind is more complex than your body. It’s the mind that stops people from pursuing their dreams and life itself, not the circumstances that you find yourself in. Look in the mirror today, and ask yourself, “Am I living the life I love?”
Don’t let your body become a shell of emptiness. Wake up people! Look out your front window and point out five things to be grateful for. Next, look in the mirror at yourself and point out five things to be grateful for. To become abundant, we must first find eternal gratitude in the now. Then we must make the choice; how are you going to live out today? Are you going to wake up with gratitude and focus on all the gifts that already surround you, or are you going to continue complaining about how others have it so much better/easier than you?
Aside from appreciating the gifts from God, like the elegance surrounding us within nature or the love we feel from people that are important to us, your first priority is to nourish your mind and body because it’s the only thing that protects the sanctity of your soul. Without this body or an aware mind, you’ll never be able to enjoy all essence life has to offer.
Take care of yourself. If you haven’t done the best at doing so, change. No one can do it for you.
It is my hope that I can help encourage and motivate people to start making that change and living out their most abundant life.
Write down all the poor habits you might possess. Each day scratch one off and replace it with a positive change or something you are grateful for. Continue to do that, and over time I know you will begin to feel better about yourself and about the life you’re living.
You have this one chance! JUST ONE! Choose to live it to its full capacity. Start Now!
