Poverty mentality does not discriminate. It affects those with wealth, those without, and often has nothing to do with the amount of money you have in the bank. I was listening to a recording the other day of a man describing himself as feeling like an empty vessel. As I listened without judgement I felt him ravaged with stress. He felt very alone. He had been asking people for a contribution. Many had presumed it was money he was after. He expressed that he felt saddened by people judging him as they presumed this was the contribution he was seeking. It wasn’t. I haven’t mentioned his name in this article. This is not important here. His message is!
Money is a Catalyst for Change (not always in the way you think)
This man’s words took me back to a time in my life when I too had experienced this emptiness. In Sydney around the time of the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, most of my regular client base had disappeared overseas and interstate, and I wasn’t able to make ends meet. I wasn’t following my soul path. I was doing work I absolutely loved, and I didn’t mind being “on call” seven days a week just in case someone needed a treatment. My ego made the judgement that selflessly devoting myself to the healing of others was my soul purpose. I felt I had to put others first, and be selfless. Ironically, I probably needed just as much care, healing and nurturing.
Angry and disillusioned I cried out, “If I am walking my soul path, then why is it so hard. Why am I struggling?” I remember feeling so helpless and hopeless. I couldn’t support myself financially, emotionally, or physically. There were times I wasn’t able to pay my bills. A number of clients who, after receiving their treatment, either forgot their wallets or forgot to bring cash. Some even wrote cheques that either bounced or took days to clear. I tried to trust in the Universal Law of Attraction. However, the perception was I only seemed to attract “lack”. Truth be known, I was attracting the reflection of what I felt about myself. I lacked self-worth and a sense of value. My relationship with money seemed to amplify this self-perception. For me, making necessary changes to my relationship with myself has greatly improved my fiscal wellbeing.
“If you want to change the world, be aware of every choice you make.”
When tired and depleted, the magic of life is buried beneath the stresses you deal with. The other night I heard pain in the man’s voice. He told listeners about people who felt he was trying to take something away from them. He described “a lack of willingness” for these people to see him for the person he is. Just as my experiences in Sydney mirrored my deep-seated thoughts about myself, often other people’s judgements of us are projections of what they are feeling on the inside.
The following words resonated with me: “If you want to change the world, be aware of every choice you make”. Long after the recording had finished I sat reflecting on these words. I thought back to my healing days in Sydney, and pondered the significance of the debilitating depletion I had experienced back then. I pondered the dynamics this lovely man must be experiencing to feel so painfully burnt out.
As I drove to the office, a spontaneous realisation dropped in to my head. Could it be that these words are perhaps a personal message for this man as much as it is for me? What if there is a bigger picture being played out here? What if there were even greater opportunities for growth and facilitation nestled deep within this man’s current experiences? I had learnt way back in Sydney that guilt and emptiness were clues I needed to make choices that better nurture and allow me to value myself as being worthy. When we are healing facilitators and pledge to be of service to Spirit and humankind, we place ourselves at the back of the queue and focus on everyone else’s lack instead of dealing with our own.
My Contribution For Consciousness
The speaker in that recording had requested us to make a contribution to him. It wasn’t a request for a financial contribution (although money matters were causing stress). The contribution was energy and making mindful decisions about what we want and don’t want to experience within our lives. Actions often follow these mindful choices as if the initial thoughts and the light, warm feeling that accompanies them are the first two steps forward.
Oh, another thing I felt whilst listening to this man speak his truth – the love emitted by the people who had tuned in to the call. It was the kind of love that makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck. It felt much like the love I feel from Spirit. This experience too reminded me that whilst a person might feel alone in the world during times of personal hardship, we are, in fact, connected to each and every person on this planet. We don’t need to know each other personally to love each other.
So, right here I ask you to keep this contribution going. And pass it on! Sit quietly and reflect on how you can be more mindful with the choices you are making within your life. How do these decisions empower and nurture you? What is it going to take for you to value you more?
And by the way, should any of you know of the wonderful man I am speaking of in this blog, and if you are in Washington DC this weekend, could you please just give him the biggest hug from me if you meet him (I love the small world we live in!). Thank you. xx
Anne McCormack is author of the book, Lovitude: Trying To Calm The Monkey Mind and the award-winning, Peacock Dreaming: The Wisdom Of Flowers.
Feature photo courtesy of Pixabay
Interested in more articles on mindfulness? Check these out:
My Wish For You – Stepping Into Mindfulness
Making Me Happy! A Journey Into Mindfulness
What Makes You Fizz? Living Your Purpose
Re-Learning The Joy Of Living With Journaling and Meditation
