How To Balance Gratitude With The Desire For More
My life curriculum, at the moment…
The weird thing about this human life is that it’s so easy to waste years of your life. You might be quick to think “nothing is ever a waste!”, and that’s kind of true… but what I mean by ‘waste’ is simply, not enjoying the present moment.
Sometimes we’re stuck in longing for the past - the good old days. When things (as we remember them, at least) were lighter and we felt more free.
Sometimes we’re in anxiety about the future, wondering what’s going to happen, and desperately wishing for someone to reassure us that everything is going to be ok.
And before we know it, a year or two has passed and we find ourselves in the exact same place, and also haven’t even soaked up the deliciousness of the moment.
I find myself here again and again. It’s so easy as a human in our society to do so!
We have shiny pennies all around us… and we also may have a lot of people around us telling us things from their limited perspective, or their generation’s perspective, that is no longer a good fit for who we are today (I know I’ve heard “Money doesn’t grow on trees. Life is hard. Where do you think that’s going to come from? Who does she think she is? She should have stayed with him because she’ll never find someone better.” from my family members that I have had to just BLOCK OUT in order to move forward in life. (Love you, but no thank you lol!)
Sometimes we outgrow a situation rather quickly and then we want and want and want things to change and evolve with us at the same speed our desires do, that we lose sight of what’s beautiful in our situation right now.
And sometimes we lean too deeply into “I should just be grateful for this situation and what I have” that we find ourselves years deep into stagnancy - no goals or dreams we’re working towards in sight.
The key is finding the balance in both.
In order to realize our potential in this life, we don’t just stop working towards the next goal. We set goals, we reach those goals, we celebrate and have a moment there (very important!), and then we set the next goals. We keep moving forward with our lives, and the next level of vision we have for who we are becoming.
But it’s so key to not stay in the loop of striving and wanting more, that we lose sight on the beauty we have around us right now. After all, this life you’re living right now is something you desired to manifest before. And even if you’ve perhaps outgrown it, it’s still worthy of your love and attention in the here and now.
Maybe you’ve outgrown your house, but at some point, living in it was your dream, and buying it was a huge goal you accomplished. So, love on it. Make it the most delicious space ever. You don’t know how much longer you’ll be there for. Appreciate it while you have it. AND keep your eye on what’s out there, get your finances ready, and start to declutter now, to prepare for your next move. Make space for what’s coming.
Maybe you’ve outgrown your job, and you’re so over it, you just want to quit. Ok, are you actively preparing yourself for a job search? Are you seeing what’s out there, reaching out to your network, refreshing your resume? Perhaps starting up that side hustle you’ve always wanted to do? AND can you bring love into the situation every day while you’re still there? Show up as your best self in the here and now?
The key is keeping your energy in alignment with both gratitude AND what you’re manifesting next.
Because gratitude and loving on and nurturing what you have IS energetically aligning you with what’s ahead. And taking action towards it is letting life know you mean business. A winning combination, in my book.
So, how do you balance both at the same time?!
One of the best ways I’ve found is to include both gratitude and manifesting into my daily ritual. I do this at 5am when I wake up before baby (although some days she surprises me with a ‘hello momma’ at 5:30am or so, like this morning… 🤪).
I wake up, pour my coffee, and cozy up on the couch with my notebook and my laptop. I think of a few things I’m currently VERY GRATEFUL FOR in my life, and I whisper them out loud to myself (pro tip - try to go deeper than the easiest ones, get as specific as you can). Then, I open my laptop where I see my vision board - which is set as my background on both my lock screen and my desktop - and I take that in for a moment. I look at the images, and remind myself what I’m working towards this year. What I feel is going well, and where I maybe need to pivot some attention towards. Then, I whisper aloud to myself my desire and identity statement I created for this year. It includes everything I’m manifesting and accomplishing this year, and who I am becoming, in order to receive my manifestations. (Paid subscribers, you’ll receive my worksheet template this week to write one for yourself!) And then, I pull up the current online course I’m taking, that is helping move me towards what I’m manifesting, and I get some work done there. (I am ALWAYS taking one online course or another #neverstoplearning.)
In under an hour, I’ve cultivated gratitude for what my life currently is, kept my gaze on what I’m working towards and what I’m manifesting, and did some active work towards learning from the people who have what I want, to help me achieve those goals for myself.
This is my power hour. This is what keeps me from ‘wasting’ these precious years, where it feels like time has sped up. Where it would be so easy to lean too deep into ‘gratitude’ and really, just stay stuck. Or, to want and want and want, and miss the gorgeousness of what I have right now.
What do you think? Do you have a ritual around this? Do you find the balance between both to be easy, or something you have to consciously cultivate for yourself?
I love you to bits.
