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We are discussing now the 3 truths. These 3 truths are required for the peaceful base on which further creation is a true expression of the self rather than a forced march to a destination we don’t really care for. The last chapter we covered “I am enough”. This article deals with “I have enough” or the abundance belief.
Enough is abundance to the wise.
As we saw in the chapter on Peace. If we are not being “I have enough” then we are being “I don’t have enough”. This causes us to always need more. This makes us numb to the pain and suffering we inflict on ourselves in our quest for more and more.
Feeding Frenzy
Consider you haven’t eaten for 3 days and there is a huge feast laid out before you. Would you go over the contents of the table and choose the items you would like to eat first or would you just start gulping down whatever you see.
If you are anything like me you would just grab the first thing that looks nice and start eating. The problem is that although it looked nice, it may taste horrible. When we are haunted by the ghost of “I don’t have enough“, our choices are like this. After a while we have a full house of stuff that looked nice in passing but which we didn’t ultimately want.
Time to re-read Marie Kondo!
Gratitude
The most powerful way to install the “I have enough” way of being is to regularly write down what you are grateful for.
In the beginning, this practice may feel silly, but as you practice it, you should start seeing more things you are really grateful for. Those realisations are what this practice is all about.
Every one of us has things we should be grateful for in our lives. If we feel disappointed with our lives, it’s because we are not present to these things.
Why are we not present to these things ? Well the Tetris effect Of-course!
Tetris Effect
The Tetris effect is the effect that makes Tetris addicts want to do Tetris moves even after they have stopped playing the game.
In the game Tetris, you manoeuvre random shapes on a 2D world so that they align to make neat rows. You can rotate, shift and accelerate the blocks as you try to make as many neat lines as possible.
Researchers found that players developed an urge to align objects even outside the game. For example, at the supermarket, they are more likely to re-arrange boxes of cereal so that they are aligned, or maybe struggle to align their car perfectly with the next car while parking.
Similarly, our work, which we spend much of the day on, tends to influence our thinking outside of work. For example, if your work is to find faults in computer programs, you are more likely to find errors in things outside of work as well. Pick out spelling mistakes in menu cards, say, or criticise your spouse for some minor mistake.
In the same way, to install Gratefulness, we need to practice more gratefulness. The more we practice, the more we find things we are grateful for. The feeling of Gratefulness is the beginning of being “I have enough”.
The Practice
So whip out your journal and write down 5 things you are grateful for. Repeat this every day. Try not to repeat as much as possible unless you are moved in gratitude for that thing! Do it every morning to set up the mood for the day. This practice should start you being more present to the fact that you, indeed, have enough.
Some people believe
Gratitude is what starts the receiving process.
But that's too Metaphysical for me to support in this book. That's not saying it's not true though.
What if I really NEED more ?
Again, this truth doesn’t condone living in poverty although it does require you to live within your means. If you really need more, then you should ask for it. Unfortunately asking has so many bad connotations and the epitome of asking, i.e begging is looked down upon as a scourge of society.
This is typical of a society based on “I don’t have enough”. When we don’t have enough, giving to others is unthinkable. As good people at heart, we hesitate to inflict such pain on others. So asking becomes taboo.
Alternatively, when we are playing status games, we do not ask. To ask would mark us as “in need” and lower our status with respect to the other person. As a result progress is impeded as each member has to relearn everything on their own.
Being “I have enough” thus really opens up the flow of wealth.
Another reason for this is because rejection loses its hold on us. Nothing will change if that person says no. We will still have enough.
So go ahead and ask friends how you can have more. One sure way to get the answers you want is to gift something to that person. Once you have the answers as to how to you can get enough, implement those ideas from a base of “I have enough” way of being.
Giving
The most visible symptom of an “I have enough” way of being is generous giving. It is giving without any demands for return on “Investment”. This is not sacrifice, this is simply giving what you have excess of.
Unless you have enough, you will never have excess of anything.
This giving kicks off the psychological game of indebtedness. It is natural in human beings that generosity cannot be unrequited. We have to give something to the giver. This virtuous loop creates more wealth for the society through reinforcement.
I give you, so you give me, so I give you…. Ad infinitum and the wealth of our society increases.
It needn’t be monetary wealth either, it could be knowledge, creativity, skill.... Give anything that you can share and watch the world return it to you manifold in other forms.
There is one cardinal rule here, though,
Never keep score.
If you give Ram something, you should not wait for Ram to return. This dampens the magic. Give to Ram because you have enough, then the world will conspire to give back to you. It may not be via Ram, but the wealth will return somehow. This belief is another symptom of being “I have enough”.
It’s ironic but true, being “I have enough” begins the process of getting more. This is just a side effect though. The real benefit of being “I have enough” is that you are at peace and can make the choices you want and create a life that you want. Not one dictated by the feeding frenzy of “I don’t have enough”.