Only when we discover that having less can be a blessing, do we realise how much we actually have. What I mean is this - by having less, but enough, our gratitude kicks in. Having coached a large number of senior executives, who's expense accounts are higher than the living wage of many, it became apparent that these individuals don't consider gratitude as a must have. Rather, their focus is often to do with how much their colleagues are making. It's like a never ending competition, where the only winners are the highest earners. What I believe this does is disable our take on reality. It also distorts the true value of our health, happiness and wellbeing. It's as if those aspects of our life go on hold.
For many, the only thing that matters is how much money one has. Now, I'm fully aware that having enough to pay the bills and to live on is vital. But not knowing what enough is, can lead us to being both greedy and delusional. By delusional, I mean out of touch with reality and living in a bubble. Only when this bubble bursts does the real world come to the fore. And believe me, during the most recent recession, many banking executives had their bubbles burst. In some cases, but not many, there was a desire to help others. Some chose to do charity work, help the aged, etc.
In fact, having less money than we've become used to, enables us to see what we do have. Invariably, by just conveying gratitude for what we have, our happiness levels increase exponentially. In short, having more joy, being more satisfied and recognising the good stuff in our lives, gives us much more than money can buy. I'm not advocating not caring about money, I am advocating caring less about it. Of course, money does make the world go round, but being happier enables us to go round and round, without becoming giddy.
Having more happiness in business terms has never really been a must have, it's been considered a nice to have. Something associated with having greater material wealth. Well, this view is inaccurate. Having extensively researched how other coaches have experienced their clients must haves, it turns out the number one request is to be happier. I might add, this request only comes to light after an intense Q&A has taken place between coach and coachee. In essence, this only seems to occur when the coachee allows themselves to drop their guard, dissolve their ego and let go of the addiction to conditioning and habit.
The ability to change, be more realistic and less money orientated, for many is quite a leap of faith. In many ways it's do with making adjustments to our priorities. Perhaps it begins with more self awareness. With higher levels of awareness we can think more laterally. This enables us to see the world in more expansive fashion. This way of thinking has certainly aided me as a coach. It's how we find Empathy, Compassion and Forgiveness. These three attributes bring about greater joy, and tend to enable us to be kinder to ourselves.
Some thoughts:
-Increase self awareness
-Prioritise what matters most
-Endeavour to dissolve ego
-Allow your intuition to play a part in your life
-Don't allow habit or conditioning to dictate the rules
-Believe in yourself
-Learn how to let go