The A-Z Challenge: G is Greed. Shift negative to positive alphabetically.
'I want, I want, I want!' We all have greed for one thing or another. Are you aware of your 'wants'? When you get what you want, do you find yourself wanting more? And when you get it all, are you satisfied? For how long?
Recognise how greed works.
- What's on your 'I want' list? (Gadgets, clothes, shoes, money, food, love....)
- What kick starts your 'I want'? (I need that...., That looks really good...., I could use this for...)
- What's the belief behind your 'I want'? (What I have is not good enough, it needs replacing. I don't have 'enough.' I need a bigger, a newer, a better, the latest, the best....)
Satisfying greed is like filling a pitcher with a hole in the bottom, it's never full; we have to keep pouring more in. It's like drinking seawater; the more we drink the thirstier we become. The more you get, the more you want. As we can't have everything we want, it means we're unlikely to ever be fulfilled.
"There is enough for everybody's need, but not enough for anybody's greed." Mahatma Gandhi
Understand, there is more than enough for all of us. There's plenty right here, right now. We have all the resources we need. Choose to focus on what you have, not on what you don't have. Go from 'not-enough' to 'I have enough'. Not only will you feel more satisfied, more fulfilled but life will be much simpler. You've heard the phrase, less is more!
Rethink your spending habits. You might want to increase your spending awareness, even if you have your finances under control. Not to cut out the fun from life but to redirect your spending from things that are not important to things that add a positive purpose to your life. It can only improve our financial well-being!
Rethink the 'I want' items in your shopping cart. Ask yourself: Do I really need this? Is this the best use of my money? Is it going to make my life happier? Try going without one or two little treats.
Curb your greed with generosity. Actually, the quickest way to curb greed is to do the opposite - be generous. Generosity fills the space created by greed. Generosity is the act of giving. But don't wait for 'When I have more, I'll give more'. Follow your spontaneous instinct to give and start with where you are. Share what you have - especially in areas that you feel greedy. But be sensible. Don't get carried away with giving, especially in times when there's not enough to spare. And don't let people take advantage of your generosity.
Willingly share your time with others. Give attention, empathy, encouragement, compliments.... Share a smile, a meal, a story! Share good feelings and good wishes to everyone you meet. You can also send peaceful and compassionate thoughts to a crisis somewhere in the world, or to someone you know who is going through a tough time.
Remember: Everything gains value when we give it away. Not only does generosity increase everything we have, but givers gain, because the more we give the more we receive.