I woke up this morning, and for the first time in a while I felt a spark of joyful anticipation, an expectation for being delighted by Life. It was a sense of there being nothing I had to do, with endless amounts of time to do anything I wanted to do.  

Curious about what had changed, I looked back over my calendar.

It felt overwhelming, perusing the last couple of months, noticing how packed it looked, with more activities and meetings and events squeezed into each day than 24 hrs could hold.

Even more scary and oppressive was coming to terms with the feeling I felt in my chest, a sunken-hearted feeling.  

For the past many weeks, my attention had been on all the many business tasks I’d convinced myself were required: the pace, the meetings and the to-dos that I should be doing if I wanted to reach my business goals and make the difference I dreamed of making.  

The only problem was, it didn’t feel life-giving.

My days felt too full of things that didn’t bring me joy, things that left me feeling flat, exhausted and unfulfilled.  

I recalled feeling a hollowness and vague sense of impending regret building, as another week would pass by without having made the time to deeply connect with my children, without doing the exercise I’d promised myself, or taking the time to slow down and have fun cooking dinner, vs. it being a chore to squeeze in.

I found myself pushing my core values to the side, skimming over the good I already had, and bypassing what truly mattered to me, by commanding myself to be more productive.

I realized I was falling into a familiar pattern: always busy, always prioritizing productivity. And it hit me—this was my mother’s pattern, too. Of course. I was simply repeating what had been modeled to me.

I invite you to notice:

What’s your strategy for growth?

What does your Heart have to say about growth? 

So often, we’re striving. We’re pushing toward something we don’t yet have—a dream home, a healthier body, more time, more money, more ease.

That constant state of “shoulding” ourselves into a success checklist can begin to feel like we’re always behind, like there’s something missing in us that has to be fixed, earned, or filled.

And in the process our heart can feel like it’s breaking, because we don’t know how to work toward our goals from a place of wholeness that feels easy, natural and flowing.

A magical thing happens when you pause and recognize what you do have.

When I realized I’d been prioritizing productivity, it woke me up to these questions:

What gifts are present in my life right now? 

What’s already working? 

What have I created, learned, become? 

What do I already have? 

The first thing that popped into my mind was an image of my children – whom I value more than anything in the world, and are right in front of me!  

And there’s a preciousness in this because it won’t always be the case.

I realized what I want most is connection with my kids… but I was acting like I had to be busy and productive all the time to earn success… when in truth, I already HAVE it.

So, I rearranged my schedule to make the brilliant beings who are already in my life, that I am so grateful for and whom I love, THE priority. Duh!

Because, the deeper truth is this: 

We already have so much.

The gifts are right here in front of us. We just have to notice them.

And when we take the time to recognize it—to really see and acknowledge the gifts that are already here—we start to feel differently.  

There’s an alignment process we go through.  

We shift from struggle and lack to a sense of freedom and abundance. From striving to sufficiency. From emptiness to peace. Recognizing what is already HERE. And responding to what our heart really wants most.

When I make time to reflect on these things—to “open” these gifts, as I like to say—I feel fuller, calmer, more grounded. There’s an appreciation that floods in. A preciousness to the moment I’m in. 

And from that place, something beautiful happens:
I still hold my vision, but I no longer chase it from a place of lack. Instead, I dream from a foundation of fullness.

As we FEEL how much we have, it puts us in a creative, abundant, already fulfilled place. And from that grateful, alive feeling, we create more of those kinds of experiences. 

You can absolutely desire more, and I encourage you to. But when you begin from a place of recognizing what’s already here, you’re not trying to fix something. You’re simply expanding what already is.

And here’s the powerful part:
When you align yourself with the vibration of having, you become a match for more to flow in. You generate from wholeness, not need.

So today, before you run toward what’s next, or force yourself into a life-sucking regimen, I invite you to pause.

Ask:
What do I already have?
What’s here, now, that I can love, appreciate, and honor?

And then, in the joy of that state of being, when you’re ready, ask:  

What more would I love to create?

You might be amazed by how rich your life already is.
 

From that place of feeling the “have”,  you get to dream bigger. Without pressure. Without urgency. Without emptiness.

Because you’re already in the “have.” And that’s where real creation begins.