The affluence in you

Two years ago, I needed a new computer - bad.

I was making music, editing video and photo, and doing other work full time from my 6 year-old machine. It couldn't keep up any longer.

As the money rolled in, I would put some to the side. I planned on saving up enough in 6-7 months.

One day I found myself talking to a game developer online.

They told me that they needed an asset to complete what they were working on. The problem was that that asset was a few hundred dollars, and they didn't have the resources for it.

It just so happened that I had the thing that they needed and decided to let them have it.

The next morning, I woke up to an email from Apple telling me that I had a gift card (oddly as much as the computer I was eyeing up) waiting for me.

What? That must have been a mistake.

It turns out it was from one of my friends who had recently gotten a promotion and knew I needed a new computer.

They decided to gift me the money so my projects could keep up with me.

Giving one day and receiving the next couldn't have been a coincidence, right?

. . .

Last week I finished The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra.

Of the seven, the one that seared its mark on me was "The Law of Giving.”

I had never been able to put the core of these giving phenomenons into human language before.

As humans, we innately understand that giving helps others, and it will also help us.

Yet, I don't think that we consciously understand it until we see it on the paper in front of us.

We feel the exchange of energy, but we might not be able to put words to what's happening under the surface.

The flow of wealth

You might know the word "affluence" only to describe the ultra rich.

That wasn't what the word was designed for though.

Affluence, in Middle English, meant "abundant, flowing." It stemmed from the Old French word "affluere," which meant "to flow."

Our money is called currency - another word that describes flow.

All of the hints point back to wealth being a flow of energy.

It sounds like the true nature and power of money were in mind when these words were forged.

Abundance isn’t about hoarding - it’s about letting energy dance its way from one to another.

When you give energy with intention, you allow it to circulate. This makes room for new energy to find its way to you.

That energy will always come back to you - most of the time in multiples of what you gave.

You are naturally affluent

Whether you know it or not, you understand the flow of energy.

You may not have the words for it, but you get it.

We give to others and realize that it feels good to us too - we let go of the old and make room for the new.

This Universe will support every need and desire we have, but you have to have room to receive.

Simply put, the more you give, the more you'll receive.

In Chopra's words, everything exists as pure potentiality. Anything that you could ever desire is potential waiting to be manifested in the real world.

We have the power to make those ideas into reality.

But you have to be in touch with that plane of existence (through meditation) and have room for what you're calling in.

Society loves to preach "hoard your wealth", yet, that goes against our nature and will cause blocks.

Energy is meant to flow.

The Law of Giving in action

Chopra gives three ways that you can practice The Law Of Giving in your life.

Here's my breakdown.

1. Give wherever you are

Wherever you go, and whoever you come across, come with a gift.

The circumstances do not matter one bit.

Gifts aren't limited to money or something you picked up while you were out shopping. They can take on many forms.

A well-thought out compliment, a flower you picked in the park, a card with some kind words, or even a prayer.

It's not what you give; it's the intention behind what you give.

If you give your friend $20 expecting to have that money come back to you in other ways, I hate to break it to you, but it's probably not going to come back.

Give with the intention of creating happiness in someone else's life. Giving any other way isn’t worth it.

Openly give what you wish to receive, and it will find its way back to you.

2. Stay open to receiving

We often block ourselves from receiving the gifts that try to enter our lives.

I don't know where the common idea that we're not worthy of good things came from, but it's not true and needs to stop.

Imagine I came up to you and said, "Wow, your outfit is awesome! The pants really highlight the work you've been doing at the gym, and your shirt makes your eyes shine like stars!"

What would your reaction be?

Would you downplay it? Would you negate it? Would you give me a compliment right back?

If you said yes to any of the three, you most likely have a problem receiving, and this can cause stagnant energy in a lot of places.

It can be difficult to see ourselves as worthy of the gifts that we're receiving.

However, that's not for us to decide.

Who are we to choose if we're worthy of the awesome things the Universe has in store for us?

Stay open to receiving, and you'll notice that things flow to you easily - this is because you're not pushing them away anymore.

3. Continue to circulate wealth

This step wraps up the other two.

Knowing how to combine giving and receiving is crucial.

Some people I know are great at giving but awful at receiving. Others are fantastic at receiving, but silent when giving.

Both lead to energy clots, because the energy cannot freely flow to and from them.

One will leave you feeling empty, and the other will make you feel stagnant - neither is good for our human experience.

Make a commitment this week to consciously practice these three principles. Notice how it feels and what happens when you do.

If you give and receive openly, there’s no possibility you could ever run out.

That’s all for today.

I hope the you make the commitment to circulating wealth. The world needs it.

Until next time, with love,

Noah