We Become What We Move Toward
Moving toward something is a very different thing than moving away from something
I’m tired. Really tired.
Not because I’m fed up or discouraged, but rather because I’m full — so full of life. I’ve been living life so fully that I’m (temporarily) exhausted. And . . . I can’t wait for my tank to be refilled so I can get back to it.
We Become What We Move Toward
This is not a post about what not to do, but what to move toward. It’s been said that we become what we move toward. Which is such a simple concept it’s easy to dismiss.
If I want to be more (fill in the blank). If I want to have more of (fill in the blank). If I want to change my life so that it’s more like (fill in the blank). If I want to raise my consciousness.
We only need to move toward it.
You may be thinking, “Oh, common Glenn, you’re talking in mere platitudes. Give us something useful.”
Okay, here it is. Moving toward something is a very different thing than moving away from something.
Moving away from something is coming from a place of resistance to what is. Moving toward something enables and invites us to live in a state of complete gratitude for what is, while manifesting a different kind of life.
This is key.
Resistance brings more of what we resist. Gratitude for what is, tells the Universe we are happy and joyful, which opens possibilities for us to receive more of what brings happiness and joy.
How Does Gratitude Work
Manifestation is a process of bringing something new into being.
Wanting something, wanting what hasn’t yet manifested, is telling the Universe that we don’t have it. Which means we are affirming a state of lack. Being in gratitude is telling the Universe we already have everything we need, which is affirming a state of abundance.
“A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles" — Jane Fuller
We can’t manifest something new when we keep telling ourselves that we don’t have it. Including time, by the way.
Gratitude is defined as “the quality of being thankful.” The important word here is “being.” The next part of the definition is “readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.” The key word in this phrase is “readiness.”
Gratitude is not a thing, even though it’s categorized as a noun. It’s a noun, but it’s “being” and “readiness.” In other words, gratitude is a state of being. You could say it’s a certain kind of consciousness. Or you could say it’s an attitude. As the saying goes, attitude of gratitude.
Letting go of want leads us to a state of gratitude. It’s not about accepting the status quo or resigning ourselves to a life of lack, but rather placing ourselves in a state of being and readiness. Being what? Being grateful and ready for possibility.
“Enough is a feast.” — Buddhist Proverb
Understanding how this works happens when we make the jump from seeking our happiness from external things and conditions to understanding that we choose to be happy from within.
Living Life Fully
This past week I’ve been exerting myself physically every day. I’ve also been working my left brain as we just launched a new podcast series, which involves numerous steps, many of which are technical. And I’ve been working my right brain through writing and creating. The brand work we do requires both left and right brain effort, and we’ve done a fair amount of that this week as well.
Now I’m exhausted. Not from forcing myself to do things I’m not in alignment with but diving into several passions each day and giving myself fully to the tasks at hand. The week flew by and much was accomplished. As I write these words at the end of the week, I feel myself floating into a state of relaxation and rejuvenation. It’s similar to how I feel at the end of a backpacking trip, having hiked many miles with a weighty pack on my back and having seen and experienced many amazing things along the trail. At the end of these trips, I reward myself with a huge meal, a hot shower, and a night of deep slumber.
Today I relax my mind and my body, even in the writing of these words, and look forward to another week of living life fully.
We Are Powerful Beyond Measure
By living life fully I’m moving toward something. What precisely? I don’t know. I only know it’s more good stuff like what I already have going on. How do I know that? Because I feel joy and happiness in what I’m doing, and I feel grateful for it.
I’m not resisting what I could perceive as less than good or desirable. I’m moving toward those deep feelings I’ve cultivated within — the joy of being in a flow state and running with it.
“Living in a state of gratitude is a gateway to grace.” — Arianna Huffington
We are powerful beyond measure. It can be hard to understand this when we see things in our lives that seem not right. Hardships are not hardships; they are the pressure applied by the Universe to invite us to grow further. But it’s actually not the Universe, as in some unseeable force beyond our control, it’s actually us. Our own thoughts are creating the life we have.
If we exist in a state of want, then we are affirming lack, which is manifesting lack. We’re doing it. But if we move into a state of gratitude and joy, then we affirm possibility, which is the space in which we manifest new things.
Don’t let this twist your mind around. It’s actually very simple. We become what we move toward. If we want newness, we just move toward it by being in gratitude for what is.
It’s not intellectually willing ourselves into a state of conceptualized gratitude, it’s feeling it — deeply. It can be anything. It can be simple. It can be small. A spring flower popping up. The smile of a loved one. A refrigerator stocked with food. A comfortable bed. A hot shower. A friendship. A loving pet.
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.” — Viktor Frankl
But wait a minute, you might be thinking. What if I’m homeless and destitute? There are still small things to be grateful for. It’s a starting point for shifting your energy and being ready for possibilities. I’ve known wealthy people who were quite miserable. I know people in high-level professional jobs with status and stable incomes who can barely stand it.
It’s not about external things, it’s about what we feel inside. And we always, always have the ability to shift our feelings to create a new energy and allow for new possibilities to emerge.
Little shifts each day, and we find ourselves moving toward a new kind of life.
Yes and yes…many times over! I say yes to every moment of my life.