Are you trapped in the great big scarcity scam?
But the above also raises another important point. That, as parents, wouldn't we want first and foremost for our children to grow into happy, content, adults? ... who exude a real love for life. So is it... do well in the world, according to what society dictates or... is it become an individual that follows their own purpose and does what they want with their life?
So what is success to you?
This is a really tough question and probably one that does requires significant reflection time. I have conversations with people all the time on this very subject. What is it that resonates with who you are... that would bring happiness to you each and every day because it is totally aligned to what makes you tick.
Actually it is the other way around... when we start following our purpose (whatever that is) and finding that happiness... then abundance will surround us. Please note this does not necessarily mean money... money is a man made tool that has been corrupted and its idolisation has assisted in large scale disparity in society... I am talking about abundance in the things money can't buy... happiness, love, connection, relationships, belonging... with enough money for the things you want to do in your 'life'. We are in a transitional phase and so there will be a 'need' for an amount of money for the moment.
The biggest lie in the history of the human race... maybe?
All our belief systems developed via our parents, our education, from the TV, media, news, books... pretty much everything you touch encourages us to want to join those that have 'made it'. To want what the famous, the rich, the business magnates, the uber successful people have.
This needs us to keep trying to enter their world... striving for more sales, more money, more possessions, more objects, much more of everything that we as a single human being actually need. The 80% (probably you and me reading this) are constantly being fed that unless we are like those 20% we are really losers... but don't give up!!
Don't give up trying whatever you do!! This the story we are sold... there are so many examples of others who thought they were down and out... well... they came back and made it big! Read the thousands of biographies of people 'just like you' who made it...The whole personal development industry is built around this, that by working on ourselves we might just be the one who emerges from the 'pack of potentials' to actually climb over the wall and join that elite group we are encouraged to be like.
And so as we continue to strive and strive... have we lost sight of a some important points?
- There are thousands of stories from those who made it, got rich... joined that elite 20% or maybe even rose to the giddy heights of the 3% ... only to realise they still weren't happy. Money doesn't make you happy... it just makes things more comfortable.
- Being happy doesn't require money. Being happy is a state of mind... that costs effort... costs self awareness and discovery... costs facing your own beliefs... costs making conscious choices and perhaps heading in a different direction to the one most of your friends and family are going in.
While we are busy focused on making money, believing what we are being told... "you need money"... "you have to have it"... "you can't do anything without it"... our focus and intent is locked on "what we can do to get money?" (losing sight of whether we enjoy it or not, often convincing ourselves we do) ... and when we have that money, then... and only then... we can do what we really want too. Sometimes that takes a whole lifetime... more often than not... we never get there. There are countless stories of people sacrificing their health for work, or their business... to make money... then their health fails and the money is needed to restore it... rarely successfully. Was it worth it?
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| US but applies in the UK too... |
The reason it is a scarcity struggle is because the 80% are constantly striving to squeeze into the 20% which of course is impossible using the money paradigm... there isn't enough of it. And as time passes, due largely to the 'free market economy', less and less is available to the 80% as more and more gravitates to the top 1% let alone the 20%.
We in the 80% have to make a choice. Do we keep on fighting, struggling, and playing this game where we know only a tiny percentage will make it to the top... or do we start to realise that we have a choice... and we could play an entirely different game?
What Game would that be?
The Game: "How to enable the 80% to be happy". This game empowers us to make a new choice. If what we really want is to be happy, and we know that being rich doesn't make you happy anyway, we could decide to play a new game of... acceptance and happiness.
Acceptance
- This is that we accept that we don't want to play a game where we give away our power to money and to those with the money (who incidentally have the ability to control this current game entirely anyway)
- 4/5 of people playing the money game end up in lack and scarcity because society makes them feel like failures. That's a lie. We don't have to accept that, we don't have to keep playing that game.
- We can choose to focus on what makes us happy, doing what we want to do and finding ways to reduce our dependency on money
This Requires
- Gratitude. Starting to accept that at a global level every single one of us (here in the UK) is probably in the top 10% with regard to how we live. Availability of fresh clean water, food, shelter, education (some changes to this would be good) and security (ability to make our own conscious choices without fear of losing our liberty)
- Frugality. That we don't actually need that much to live healthily and we all have more than enough stuff already. The recognition that there is more than enough to go around. Once we have our needs met, then, let us help others get their needs met too. Frugality breeds generosity, kindness... and giving without expecting return.
Where could this "New Game" lead us?
It leads us away from being so dependent on money (not immediately but like a slow tide coming in). It creates a world where we focus on what really matters; People, Relationships, Community, and Contribution... whilst ensuring we operate in a sustainable harmonious way with our planet.
It takes us down the path of finding alternative solutions to problems rather that the constant questions; "How much will it cost? ... and how are we going to raise the money?" ... let's ask... How can we create an alternative solution to this problem but without money? ... who else would like to help solve this challenge and participate? What skills do we each bring to the project? Do you have any connections in your network that would like to contribute in some way? ... and how can we co-create this such that everyone is included, and feels like they are valued member of the team?
This breaks the world of scarcity and lack foisted on us by the constant chase for a commodity where there will never be enough. If there was enough money for us all... then those with more of it would have no power... it is the fuelling of our need for money (feeding our learned greediness) and desire to look outside ourselves for material gratification rather than do the challenging internal work to discover our happiness and our peace.
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| Be that change.... |
We can start a new game, one that each day takes us closer to being happy. It isn't a 5 minute journey, it is a lifetime journey (at whatever age we decide to start to play).
In this game, there are only winners :-
- We relieve ourselves of all the pressure society heaps on us. We start to personally grow, work on our passions... pursue happiness, which grows each day
- Those around us change as the ripple effect begins to impact those we interact with
- We achieve far more when we do things we love doing... and then multiplies immeasurably when others who share our passions join us
- Gradually our dependency on money is lessened as we learn to accept less and share our access with others
- We can increase the amount of time that we spend doing what we love
- The transition to happiness begins to take place... which is not based on what we have... but on who we have become
- Then we can begin to help others to achieve the same
When would you like to start?
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