Is It Hard for You to Receive?

This week I’ve had two conversations with people about how hard it is to receive. Does this sound like you? Surely we can’t do it all alone. There’s too much to do and too much to know to accomplish all we need to without help. Even if we have the financial means to pay someone to do something for us (so we’re exchanging, not receiving), often we rely on someone to give us a referral to the expert we need.

Have you noticed that the longer you live, the more you realize that you cannot do it by yourself? Does that mean it gets easier to receive help when we’re sick or unemployed or to accept encouragement when we’re discouraged? Not always, according to the people I talk to. As we gain experience, many of us think we should be better equipped to take care of ourselves. We reason that others, particularly those less experienced than we, should be coming to us for assistance. Perhaps we received help when were young, and now we feel it’s time to give back. Often I’ve observed that people feel better about themselves when they’re giving rather than receiving. For some, giving is an outright ego trip while for others, it provides a needed boost to their diminished self esteem.

When you find life difficult, I urge you to reflect on whether you are able to receive in that moment. In our abundant universe, expect that your needs will be met. Open yourself up to what is right before you and be willing to receive it. Remember, your doing so will usually afford the giver a shot of self esteem, and it might be just what they need.