A very nice lady recently posted a comment on my Facebook page to the effect that she doesn’t always have what she wants, but she always has what she needs – and is satisfied with that.
Fair enough – sounds like a peaceful way to live. But it got the wheels a-turning in my head; something didn’t quite line up with that statement. Yes, of course we don’t want to stress out about always striving and struggling for more. But as I wrote in a previous post, our definition of “enough” can change – especially when we wake up and really begin to evolve. The fact is that in this physical reality, in order to continue to express our true Divinity in
ever-expanding ways, we also need to expand our physical world. It’s just a fact that material things increase our ability to learn and express our Selves. Whether the things are given to us or we buy them with money, they’re essential. In order to travel and experience new places and people,we need money. If we want to surround ourselves with beautiful, inspiring things, we pretty much need the physical means to get them, and so forth. Money, dare I say it? is a powerful freedom-maker. In order to live life to the fullest expression, we need to manifest abundance.
But the real point here is the mistaken idea that you can be “satisfied” and still want something. Say what? The definition of the word satisfied is: “ filled with satisfaction; content”. In other words, if you’re satisfied, you want for nothing. Therefore, if you still want something that you don’t have…you’re not satisfied. You are, in fact, dissatisfied.
And that’s the way it’s supposed to be, frankly. Desire (want) is what keeps us moving and evolving toward the fullest expression of our Selves. Don’t get me wrong: acceptance and gratitude for what we have is a good…nay, essential… thing. We need to be happy with what we have. But that doesn’t mean we stop moving. Yes, I’m in this wonderful place; now, I wonder what it’s like over there in that slightly different, even more wonderful place?
I don’t know what true “satisfaction” would look like – I’ve certainly never experienced it, and I hope that I never do while I’m still inhabiting this old carcass. If I settle for what I “need” to simply be alive…well, I can do that living under a bridge. I need air, water, food, and a bare minimum of shelter. And I could sit under that bridge and meditate and be holy for the next 20 years…and not much would come of it. I would have made little contribution to the good of all, except perhaps for the few other bare-survivors I met there in my dark niche under a freeway. Certainly, if I could help even one of “the least of these” I would be helping the All, and I would have “enough”…what I “need” – but would I be expressing all that I could have done and been? Would I have provided the Creator with all the varied contrast and experience possible? Nope. Not by a long shot.
If you’re going to try and live your Life Purpose, “wanting” is essential. Because that purpose is built into your blueprint. And the way to read that blueprint is very, very simple: your innermost, most authentic and burning desire is your purpose. Whatever it is that you want to create…your purpose is to go out and create it, thereby creating more life for All. True satisfaction is death.
Very good point, Justin. It’s likely that I would choose to drive my old pickup even if I could afford a Mercedes (which I eventually will be able to do); but having that option serves to reinforce the expression of my creative power. Sort of why stock options are worth something, even though they’re not a real thing – they’re just a choice.
That said, there are certainly many things that I would and do choose to have as direct expressions – but I dislike having things and enjoying them for a day or two and then never picking them up again, so I’m very selective about what I acquire, not out of some sort of frugality but because of the statement I’m making.
Hi Michael,
Great post and I always look forward to reading them. I was thinking about the subject of money today and I was getting to the core of why I want financial abundance.
For me it is not about material things for the sake of owing say, A Mercedes Benz, it is about choice. To be able to choose what I want without limitations, without having to settle for less than I really want.
Thanks for your comment, Michelle. Yes, when we share, we all help one another with the little bits of knowledge that we each have.
Hopefully you’ll be lead to the realization that there is no bondage other than that which we place upon ourselves. It’s not easy sometimes, but it’s true.
Be well.
I have very few words to speak .You have spoken everything I needed to hear. Thank you for your post.and thanks to all your readers and their comments. The knowledge and inspirations of others can catapult those of us who are impeded or obstructed by the fears that hold us in bondage. Michelle
Hi Gina,
Yup – they kinda go together. And those of us who need to be abundant on the inside first definitely have the advantage. As you point out it’s possible to be successful on the outside and never have it on the inside. I think that’s because the method of obtaining the outer success often wasn’t based on the law of “more life for all”, but on conquest and struggle. If it’s obtained that way, it usually can’t last a lifetime, either.
Nice piece, Mike, very thought-provoking. It is certainly true that the “need” pushes us forward in our evolution. I also agree with you and Julie re the rich & poor thing too. I have experienced both and prefer the rich aspect because it provided me with more mobility and accessibility to do more of what I want and express myself in ways that lack can not express. But to me, abundance isn’t just an expression related to the material or monetary field, but it also encompasses feeling, BEing abundant in all areas of my life such as experiencing love, good healt and joy in my professional life — things that money or materialism can’t necessarily obtain. I know some very wealthy folks who are pretty miserable in their personal relationships and/or health areas. So, as you & I have spoken about before, my goal is to have SIMULTANEOUS abundance and balance in ALL areas of my life. That “simultaneous” part is what currently seems to be the challenge for me. Anyway, great piece, I’ll be thinking about it all day. 🙂
Hi Donna,
Thanks for your comment. The jumping on board is an important piece – both to multiply the experience and because (unless you’re a counterfeiter 🙂 ), you need to engage with others on some level to get money or whatever else it is you want.
Hi Julie,
Thanks for commenting.
“I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor…” I think that’s one of the keys to a life rich in experience. When you think about those who have been millionaires since birth, and those who always have been dirt-poor, you don;t often see an enormous amount of versatility or personality. Having money, etc. is better, but it’s also good to know what it’s like to have next to nothing. All in the contrast.
Michael, I love this article. So true. Abraham-Hicks is always touching on this subject of want: “Rockets of desire” make the world go around and provoke people to create wonderful companies, products that change people’s lives, workplaces that inspire creativity, charity that saves millions of lives, and the list goes on and on. Without it, we stay stagnant. Appreciation, however, comes with stillness and reflection, enjoying what we do have, what we have created, what we have been given and what we give. But then that rocket of desire comes back and we are, again, able, to push ourselves beyond our limits and true growth takes place. Now that’s that “Aliveness” that feels so great, that energy that is so powerful that people want to jump on board with whatever we a re doing.
Agree. There are so many things I want to do yet. I always think about what you said regarding moving through the negative to get to zero and then the positive. There is no end game (except, in the true end, I guess). I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor, and throughout all phases there have been plenty of experiences to have. Given the choice, which has always been available whether it seemed so or not, I much prefer flexibility. There is so much more room for fun and expression there.