An Abundant Life

What is abundance? Watch the video below & see what you think:

Is this true abundance? Can wishing for these things really make them happen? Would you really wish for these things? (Everything I touch turns to gold??? Do we not remember the story of Midas??)

In our culture, we tend to define abundance by the stuff we accumulate, rather than the quality of our lives. As a side effect, our lives are filled to the brim with busyness working to support our “abundant” life.

By defining abundance in this manner, ours is a culture of scarcity, one in which we scramble to one-up each other & vie for position. Credit card debts are at an all-time high. Families are defaulting on mortgages & risk losing their homes.

We are a people living beyond our financial means.

We’re watching our economy teeter on edge & now face financial crisis.

Worse than financial crisis, however, is the crisis in spirit.

I recently spent time chatting with a prominent gentleman who's story breaks my heart. He’s leading what many would call a life of material abundance, but is mourning the loss of his freedom & time. Feeling “chained” to his career & seeing “no way out,” his greatest desire is to “escape.”

There are probably a few of us that can relate to the desire to escape an over-scheduled, busy lifestyle!

What if we simply redefine abundance?

What would it look like if we each come up with our own, distinctly different, definition of an Abundant Life crafted for our purpose, our dreams, our hopes?

Can we each let go of the cultural definitions of abundance we’ve held so long?

Try:

Can you imagine your best life? A lifestyle designed to meet your needs, instead of the cultural norm - what would you be free to enjoy? Your friends? Your spouse? Your children? Reading literature? Thinking deeply?

"Easier said than done," most will say.

I agree…but not impossible. There are actual people beginning to spend their days radically happy.

The key is to do the take some time getting to the bottom of your dreams, hopes & passions prior to setting a lot of goals for your future.

This level of change doesn’t lend itself well to simple formulas, but I’ll offer an outline for those of you who are interested in getting started:

1. Brainstorm & get a general picture what your best life might look like
   
2. Think about areas of your life that might be redesigned to support this new lifestyle – are there things you’d be willing to downsize, get rid of or adjust?
3. Craft a plan
4. Be flexible – life will happen
5. Forget what everyone else thinks!
6. Move forward with authenticity & bravery

This week, my challenge for you is to find ways to bring true abundance to your life.

Kim

Having trouble getting started? Try this:

Think back to some of the best times in your life. Who was present? What were you doing? Where were you? Would you like to be doing more of this?