Recently I was speaking with someone about the things that weigh us down, like a hot air balloon tethered to the ground with heavy rope, spiked into the dirt, sandbags reinforcing them.  Self deprecation, limiting beliefs, old worn out ideas that no longer serve, all of the shoulda /woulda/ coulda yammering vying for our attention.

There have been times in my life when all of those things showed up and it would have taken a machete to have hacked through the thick as steel twine. One of my areas of self limitation is that of giving and receiving. I have long been on the giving end of the spectrum with moderate discomfort when it comes to receptivity.  Tonight on my radio show called It’s All About Relationships, I interviewed Amanda Owen who is the author of Born To Receive. She could have written this book with me in mind since it is my growing edge. I talk a good game about it and in theory, I am able to do so. In actuality, I often deflect what I say I want. It is subtle and insidious and I am not always aware that it is taking place.

It really hit home that as someone who is more in giver than receiver mode, I often feel depleted. and ‘gived out’.   She spoke of the concept of activity= energy out/receptivity = energy in. I find myself (and lose myself in the process) doing rather than being, buzzy busy. She offers the ABCs of receiving  A=Accept All Compliments  B = Be Spiritually Naked  C= Count Your Blessings ~ Accepting compliments sometimes is challenging. I can acknowledge my gifts and talents and with the intention to be humble, I often find a way to spread the love around. An example took place at work yesterday when a co-worker complimented me on skillfully working with a client. I responded that we are all good at what we do there. He repeated “You do good work.” When he said it with insistence, I took it in, rather than pushing it away. The spiritually naked part comes more easily, since I have been peeling off the layers to reveal the real. Gratitude is my watchword and something I practice throughout the day.

I know on a conscious/cognitive level that there can be no giver if there is no receiver there to balance it out on the other end. I have experienced the joy that comes from giving and want to allow others to feel that pleasure too….and yet…and yet….

Wondering once and for all, what it would take to truly be in receptivity mode so that I can allow myself to rise above my limits and like that hot air balloon, take my spirit aloft.

http://youtu.be/6VqRlO3wa1A You Raise Me Up by Josh Groban

Photo Credit:  Everystock/imagefactory