A rich life
What comes to mind when you hear the phrase ‘abundant living’? Do you picture monetary wealth, a big house and the newest car? Or do you picture solitude in nature, away from the daily grind? What about a backyard full of your own laughing children as you take a stroll though the garden? There is no wrong answer here- an abundant life, a life rich in the things you value most, can be multi faceted. And what’s more is that an abundant life can be achieved through a mindset shift alone.
The comparison trap
Often times in our daily lives we can quickly fall into the comparison trap. When social media is at our fingertips, and companies are endlessly marketing their newest products, it can be easy to feel like our lives are falling short in some way. “If I just had this, then my life would be better!”. From the food we eat to the cars we drive, it seems like someone, somewhere has something that we want.
But what if we made an intentional decision to step back from all of that and truly become content with all that we have in front of us? It’s not an easy shift, and it’s not a change that can happen over night. For some of us that means that we need to take action steps towards the life that we want to be living. You may be thinking wait, didn’t she just say be content with what we have?. Sure, contentedness is important, but so are goals. Stagnation can be just as detrimental to our mental health as comparison.
Action steps
Start by making a list of all the things that you value. Jump back up to what came to mind when you heard ‘abundant living’. Our values are going to drive our goals. Then, dream big! Where do you want your life to be in 5 years? 10 years? Can you see yourself getting there by doing the things you’re doing today? If not, it’s time to put some action steps in place. These can be little or big.
If you have a desire to start baking your bread from scratch, then go ahead and bust out the flour and mixing bowls. If you want to save up a down payment to purchase a house, go ahead and create a budget that will allow you to put some money away each month. No one is going to do these things for you- you have to take the action steps to make it happen.
Appreciate what matters
Take the time to appreciate the little things. The little things add up to be the big things.
I feel so deeply rich when I have a fresh vase of flowers from my garden on my counter, and a steaming cup of coffee in my hands. But I also had to grow the flowers, and brew the coffee- all while the neighbor may have gotten Starbucks (see how comparison can suck the joy out of anything?).
What are some goals for an abundant life that you have, and some action steps to get there? I’d love to hear in the comments!
Leave a Reply