The Problem with Abundance

The problem with abundance is that most of us have certain assumptions about what abundance means.

Like most of us, I almost always associate abundance with money and having the “good things” in life (lots of luxuries). Not having things I want or think I need, teeters me on the edge victimhood and makes me feel powerless to change the condition of lack I find myself wallowing in.

Yesterday I discovered how these assumptions limit my view of the world, stifle my creativity and restrict my ability to move forward in life.   Yesterday I learned that abundance is all around me.  I just have to open up to see it.

Once I began to understand this “problem”, my perceived lack became a pathway to increased creativity, empowerment and sense of well-being, (which is really what abundance is all about). 

1. Creativity.

A few days ago, I was lamenting the lack of cutting flowers in my garden. I love to have flowers in my house all summer long and have always grown annual cutting flowers to augment the many perennials I have around the house. But this year my cutting flowers are not producing. When I look for flowers in my gardens there are hardly enough for even one arrangement.

Yesterday, as I was walking my dog, I let go of my frustration about the lack of flowers and just concentrated on the here and now – the beautiful day, the sun overhead, the leaves dancing in the trees, and the cool breeze caressing my cheek. I became intent on noticing everything and feeling into the wonderful energy of the natural world surrounding me.

It was then that I began to see flowers everywhere. They were growing along the woodland path I was walking on. They were dancing in the meadow I just passed. They were growing along the roadside. Although there may not be flowers in my garden, I discovered many wonderful wild varieties that are both abundant enough to pick and luxurious enough to make fine cutting flowers.

I began to see endless possibilities. The many ways I could use wildflowers to enhance the few flowers in the garden began crowding out all other thoughts. My choices had just expanded and jump-started my creative juices. My choice to stop fixating on lack and appreciate my surroundings opened me up to abundance in places I would not have noticed before. These new kinds of flowers in turn enhanced my flower arranging possibilities and gave me additional combinations and aesthetic choices I had never explored before.

2. Empowerment.

Solving my perceived “lack” through broadening my definition of abundance, experiencing the world in the moment, and allowing creativity to flow, brought forth potentials not available to me before. I was overwhelmed with a sense of empowerment. I realized this experience was a metaphor for the rest of my life.  “I can do this for myself”, and “ I don’t have to be limited by my own assumptions”, rang in my ears.  It taught me how limiting my expectations can be, and how moving beyond them can not only solve my “lack” problems, but bring greater choice, new possibilities and a greater sense of self-confidence in my ability to solve any problem that comes my way.

3. Greater sense of well-being.

Whenever we feel empowered, it automatically creates a sense of well being.  I saw a problem and solved it, and I solved it in a way that was both creative and satisfying.  This specific lack was certainly no big deal, but I realized that by solving a small problem, I was receiving the wisdom needed to solve big ones.   This experience will make me less apprehensive and anxious next time I experience any kind of lack, and gives me more confidence in myself and my ability to create a wonderful and joyous life for myself.

Now I know that no matter how tough the problem may seem, I have the ability to find a solution that does not just reestablish the status quo, but takes me far beyond. In this way I can experience lack as a temporary experience that is here to open new possibilities and present new potentials. In this way I am free to experience lack without fear and anxiety and focus instead on interest and anticipation. Paradoxically, I now see lack and limitation as doorways to greater awareness and expanded potentials.

They are no longer problems.  They are gifts.

You can learn more about the energy realm in my book, “It’s All About Energy:  Adventures in Expanded Reality”, found on Amazon, in local bookstores, and on my website, www.transformationalexpansion.com.