Over the course of a month, my husband and I found 16 four-leaf clovers between us. Some of them were huge. We’re talking NUCLEAR huge. Some of them were small. They seem to be throwing themselves in our path.
I remember the sacred feeling of finding four-leaf clovers when I was little. It was like God was speaking directly to me. No words needed. I would silently pick it and feel a Moment of Special.
I still feel that way.
However, last week, as we were getting in bed, I asked my husband:
“Do you think the planet is going through some chemical adjustment – and there’s just a lot more four-leaf clovers out there?”
My husband gave me one of his looks.
Then he said, “I think the more interesting question is why you’re trying to figure out a way to dismiss something that’s really fun and meaningful to you by wondering if there’s a problem on the planet.”
“”””””-
It made me think of something I said to a client recently. She was receiving rave reviews for something she created. People were falling all over themselves praising her work. And yet, she kept on talking as if she hadn’t even heard. Â She couldn’t take it in.
When I stopped her and asked her to really listen to what these women were saying, she burst into tears. Like me looking for a planetary chemical problem, she was finding a million things to say to block out the sound of their praise.
She could not let herself receive.
The gist of what I then told her – and what I had to remind myself the other night – is this:
Receiving is crucial in order for us to thrive. When we can’t receive, we can’t succeed.
As women, we give life. We create. We birth. We ROCK at care-giving.
That being said, it is imperative that we learn to inhale deeply, to allow praise, to be special, to nourish ourselves, to feed ourselves, to absorb the abundance of love that is out there for the taking.
Often we are so busy giving and coaching and befriending and serving – that we lose sight of the simple truth that energy is meant to flow.
If you can’t stop and receive, then you stop the flow. You break the laws of nature. And you will never truly experience success.
Here are simple ways to practice receiving and succeeding:
“¢ When someone compliments you, stop and say, “˜THANK YOU.’ (Don’t explain why you don’t deserve their praise.)
“¢ When you eat a meal, sit down at the table. (Don’t shove the food in your face at the refrigerator – or worse, while checking email.)
“¢ When your partner or friend hugs you, let yourself pause for a moment and take it in. (Don’t brush it off as “too uncomfortable.”)
“¢ Learn to inhale deeply and stop at various moments in the day to feel your breath moving deep into your being.
“¢ When you see material things that you love (but perhaps are out of your price range), say, “That’s for me!” (Don’t block your connection to it by judging it as unreachable.)
“¢ Treat yourself to a massage. Massage therapists talk about touch in terms of “receiving.” It’s a beautiful concept.
“¢ Read books that are fun. Go to movies and take in the scenes. Experience art and let the colors splash all over you.
Comment please”¦
How do you fill up? How do you RECEIVE amidst all the giving you do?