How Much Is (not) Enough?

When was the last time you heard yourself say, “I don’t have time to ______” or “I can’t afford to ______”? If you’re like most of us, it’s probably been within the last 24 hours or even the last 24 minutes! “I don’t have enough _______” is THE most common statement I hear when working with my clients, regardless of what they’re attempting to achieve. Be it professional or personal, financial, physical, mental, spiritual, emotional or relational, it almost always boils down to the belief that they aren’t, or don’t have, enough of something.

For instance, they may not feel they have enough knowledge, experience, time, ability, money, influence, or value. Or, perhaps they don’t believe they have enough confidence, support, determination, will power, energy, motivation, faith, or love. Regardless of the context, LACK is the undermining (unconscious) common belief. Granted, there truly are situations in our life that we may not be able to amend or change at present, and we may not have everything we need on hand (or mind), however, most any situation can be remedied with a shift in perspective and a little ingenuity.

Try this on! Next time you hear yourself saying, "I don't have time to ____ " or  "I don't have enough money for ____",  stop and ask yourself, "Hey Self...is that really true? Do I really not have enough time or money? Could I/would I create the time or money if it were important enough to me? Or is more true that I’m unsure, scared, not interested or, it simply isn’t important enough to me to spend my money or time on it? If you're willing to be completely honest, you’ll find some aspect of the latter is almost always true.

Are you arguing with me in your head right now, or doing the “yeah but” dance? Good for you! You must be pretty close. If you still feel like it’s truly a matter of lacking money or time, test it by asking yourself, "Okay, Self...so how much money did I spend at Starbucks, happy hour, or eating out this week? And tell me again how much I “saved” at that great sale this weekend? Or, “How much time was I on Facebook today, or browsing Match.com for my soulmate?” Not that any of these choices are harmful in and of themselves, but when we’re claiming we don’t have the time or money for the things we need, want, owe, or are responsible for, asking these kinds of questions can serve as our reality checks.

The reality is, we'll always, always, always find the means to do those things we want to do, (especially our habits and compulsions) but we'll often see only LACK if we're apprehensive, not interested, not ready, not sure how, not confident, or not comfortable saying "no". It’s like a “get out of jail” free card…only not. It actually keeps us trapped in the lack mentality, holds us hostage in the victim paradigm, zaps our energy and interferes with our motivation to achieve our desired goals. Simply put, like attracts like. Lack attracts lack. If you’re claiming it in ANY area, you’re attracting it in ALL.

So, next time you hear yourself saying you don’t have enough of ANYTHING, see if you can get more honest and shift the "I don't have" language to "I'm not willing"…"I don't choose to"…or simply, "No, thank you” and begin to align your words with what you DO want, and you'll not only stop a cycle of lack, but you’ll empower yourself (and others) with integrity and positive energy, and begin to attract powerful results to you!

Now…GO GET ‘EM, Tiger!