“Embrace your divine right to receive, and know, deep in your core, that you are worthy” ~ David Neagle
We have a dynamic in my husband’s family around money. When it is offered, it gets denied. Sounds kind of harsh when I say it that way, but I’m sure you can relate. It’s the ‘here take this towards dinner’ in an egregiously larger amount than their fair share. Then there’s the back and forth of ‘no no, I’m not taking your money’ followed by ‘I insist’. Negotiations may ensue. If money is exchanged, the recipient may use that money to then buy something for the giver. If money is not exchanged at the table, its been known to be found at a later time in a random pocket, hidden by the giver. It’s a never ending cycle. Over the years they’ve learned that nine times out of ten, I’ll graciously take the money when offered with a sincere thank you.
When someone offers you something, a gift, money, a compliment, do you receive it fully, or do you deflect and avoid? When you offer something to someone else, do you find that they deflect and avoid?
Women in particular are taught and conditioned to give, not receive. It’s no wonder that we struggle to charge a competitive fee for our work, whether we are entrepreneurs or employees. Our hands are always closed.
Giving and receiving is an exchange of energy. We are hard wired to receive. If you look at a human design chart, you’ll see at least 38 open gates, plus open channels and centers. Those open areas are not only where we have inconsistent energy, but where we can receive energy from others, knowingly or not.
If you find that people don’t accept things from you easily, where are you not willing to receive?
Recently I was reintroduced to the idea of creating a Book of Receiving. It’s kind of like a Book of Delights and Gratitude Journal and Law of Attraction all rolled up in one.
The premise of the book is that at the start of a new day you write the date at the top of the page and then record everything that you receive. A simple list throughout the day, or upon reflection at the end of the day. This is also a great idea for a collection in a bullet journal.
a gift
a compliment
a smile
a sense of calm when you enter a room.
Because of the Law of Attraction, like attracts like. The more you notice what you are receiving, the more you will receive and the more thankful and gracious you will become when receiving.
What makes this book different from a gratitude journal, besides not starting each line with “I am grateful for…”, is the inclusion of the ‘negative’.
chaos
a bad customer review
criticism
stuck in traffic
The point in including all of it is to offer perspective and to see the gifts in the negative after the passage of time. The change in perspective results in a natural movement from why is this happening to me, to how is this for me? Most importantly, you begin to become aware of your overall vibe.
Like attracts like.
ideas
a difficult customer
a change in belief
compassion
a mom of a newborn given the opportunity for a nap while someone else cares for the baby.
When looking back over a weeks worth of entries, you can easily see the patterns. If there’s more negative than positive, it becomes a prompt to do a gut check. What’s going on? Where is energy pooling up? Where is there friction or resistance?
a feeling
an instinct
a thought
Once you begin to question the source of any friction or resistance, you’re able to choose to consciously shift to a sensation of ease and flow. Which happens to be our natural state - manifesting as feelings of success, peace, freedom, harmony, surprise and satisfaction.
Open your gifts and gratefully receive them.
You get to receive more upon more.
Journaling is a big part of my daily life. It’s how I know what I think. Otherwise it gets all jumbled up in my head and influences my decisions unconsciously. Living life on purpose with intention is my goal. Journaling helps me get there. Free writing is my preferred method, but sometimes I need a little push in a direction to get started. I thought maybe you may need some inspiration as well.
Enter the question of the day writing prompts:
What is a simple delight I have been enjoying lately?
What do I like about where I live right now?
In what ways have I grown as a person over the last year?
What were some moments of joy today?
How can I SHOW my gratitude?
Question everything. And then move forward with grace and love.
Diane
My 4/6 line loves a community - if my writing sparked a thought in your head or a feeling in your body, please leave a comment or hit reply and let’s talk about it.
I would be ever so grateful if you shared this post with a friend. Thank you!
Love this! A list is so much easier to start and keep up with, and like free writing can be just as revealing!