Have you ever wondered why you struggle receiving the things you want? I see this a lot in my coaching practice and with my students. In fact, I would say that receiving is one of the key issues most people face. I would like to share with you some thoughts that might help you break out of this painful cycle.
Here are the two core reasons I've seen over and over again that shut people down to receiving:
1. We are brought up to believe that receiving is wrong. For some, this belief stems in religion, and for others it begins in the home.
There is a tendency in religion to push the belief that being of service means you must deny yourself. In other words, don't receive. But when you live by this belief, you shut down to taking the time to go within and connect to God. This is where you get the guidance you need to live life in the flow with grace and ease.
Even if your family wasn't religious, you might have been brought up in a home in which your mom and dad gave themselves up to take care of your needs. They set the example that it wasn't okay to receive. This is why it's so important for parents to love themselves. They don't realize that they are perpetuating a cycle of pain for their kids to grow up and do the same.
2. Feeling bad about one's self is the second reason most people don't receive. If you have beliefs, whether conscious or hidden, that tell you something is wrong with you or that you have to act a certain way to receive, you'll stay shut down to having miracles show up. This is why it's so important to do the inner work of cleaning up subconscious beliefs. As you chip away at each of them and raise your Worthiness Quotient to inner abundance, you attract outer abundance and miracles.
I share a story of Cassie in my book, The Enlightened Mom, and her awakening to the importance of receiving. Cassie had attended my weekly live Enlightened Mom class, focusing on helping the ladies release subconscious beliefs so they could finally love themselves unconditionally and open up to receive. From the very first session, most of the moms were having breakthroughs and seeing miracles show up in their daily lives. But Cassie was different. She was mired in the negativity of her mind and really struggled with receiving.
For the last session of our class, we went to a local bookstore and sat on the patio. I invited the ladies to take a moment and go within to get grounded and connected to God before going into the store. Their mission was to allow God to guide them and to open up to receive a message.
Cassie was the first one back to the patio! With tear-filled eyes and joy that was palpable, she shared the incredible messages she received, one after the other from the pages of a book she had been guided to pick up. Cassie exclaimed, "I get it now! I used to ask God for guidance and would get so angry because I never got answers. Now I realize the messages were always there. All I had to do was give myself permission to open up and receive them!"
Cassie had been mired in false beliefs about receiving. She gradually chipped away at some of those beliefs during our class. But it wasn't until that day at the bookstore that she finally realized a huge truth:
You are the one who determines whether you receive.
Are you like Cassie was? Are you shut down to receiving the love, guidance and support you seek to make life a joyful flow?
If your answer is yes, it is time to look within. Do you have religious programming that says to be of service you must not receive? Or did you grow up in a family in which your parents put themselves on the backburner, giving you an example that this is love?
To be able to give freely, you must learn to receive. You can't truly be of service if you're coming from an empty cup.
Here are three simple steps to open up to receive:
1. Give yourself permission to receive. You are the boss of your life. If you're not receiving a life of grace and ease, it's because you're still making others the authority of your life.
2. Take time daily to connect. Spend time in meditation, prayer, journaling or whatever works for you, but by all means, connect. This is a powerful way to set your inner compass to receiving.
3. Be you! Pay attention to when you shut down your voice, your feelings and your needs. Then give yourself permission to share these things. If you struggle with this, go within and clean up the beliefs that stop you down. By loving yourself unconditionally, you send out an energetic message to the universe that says, "I deserve to receive simply for being me!"
Receiving is the loving thing to do. As you transition into this new belief, you will feel loved, guided and supported. You will shift from lack to abundance. And your life will flow magically with grace and ease.
Receiving is an act of service.
As you give yourself permission to receive, your cup will be so full that you'll want everyone else to feel the way you do. You'll serve others by lifting them up. You'll want to give like never before. Your life will be your greatest act of service.
Terri Britt is a spiritual coach, inspirational speaker, former Miss USA, and the award-winning author of The Enlightened Mom. Are you ready to open up and receive? It's time to raise your Worthiness Quotient! Get my FREE gift, The Worthiness Quotient Breakthrough Bundle, and receive the tools to help you shift your life from stress and struggle to inner and outer abundance.