This week mother nature has been intense with over 6 significant fires breaking out in Southern California, spanning across four different counties. San Diego county being one of them. We have been safe with being about 30 miles away from the fire, but have to admit it was scary when first hearing about it. We first received an emergency alert by phone the night before the fire broke out giving everyone a heads-up due to weather conditions, and then again the next day saying a fire had broke out and to listen for evacuation plans. I am thankful that we live in such a proactive place. We then got a message from the school saying the kids would be 30-minutes late due to the roads being extra backed-up with people evacuating. This really hit home that this fire was close enough that it was affecting daily routines. We could then see smoke all around the sky. Yesterday I could see it from a distance during a beach workout and could actually taste it! I was completely surprised by this because at that point we couldn’t even smell it yet. That changed quickly though, again making it even more real.
Like any type of emergency or catastrophe, it has us think about what’s really important to us. What I realized when chatting about our own evacuation plan and what we might bring with us, was that we’re not really attached to a lot of our stuff. Not to say we wouldn’t be devastated if we lost our home, but there isn’t a lot of attachment to the “things”. I remember Wayne Dyer telling a story years ago about his son I believe, who was young at the time. He was really attached to a favourite t-shirt and didn’t want to lend it out for fear he wouldn’t get it back. This was a great opportunity for Wayne to teach him about letting go of the material. That story has always stayed with me. Let’s look at how we can let go of our attachment to stuff a little bit more this week, after all we cannot bring it with us when we transition out of this lifetime.
Have a beautiful weekend and week ahead.
Let’s explore our attachment to things a little more in-depth. We can’t take things with us, so why do we value them so much?
I really believe it relates back to this whole sense of self-worth deep down. The more we have the better we feel about ourselves. We strive for more and finally feel like we have enough, and more interestingly then feel like we ARE ENOUGH, once we achieve it. Well for a bit at least. Then it all becomes not good enough again, and we start over. Striving, yearning and wanting more.
I can tell you in the area I live in it can be hard to not get caught-up in this. Whether it’s a house remodel, new bedroom furniture or redoing the backyard. It’s endless. The list of what to do with our money is non-stop. This inherit human nature kicks in, super deep down, that I’ll be good enough again when I achieve x, y, and z.
Until it’s not again.
It’s a dangerous trap.
This I know for sure – that it’s familiar for all of us. We’re just not all conscious of it.
We become increasingly attached to our things and possessions, instead of what really makes us happy. It creates competition, disconnect and feelings of lack.
I remember when I hired my first coach years ago, and was making a ton of changes in my life. One exercise was purging. I remember being away in the Azores on a family trip thinking about all of the platters we had in our kitchen and why. I had somehow got caught-up in the thinking that I needed a multitude of platters for every occasion. This was in my make-everything-from-scratch-let’s-try-to-be-perfect-dinner-party-phase. During our trip I said to my husband, we’re getting rid of all of the platters. He kind of shrugged and laughed. Thank goodness he’s so laid back and rolls with whatever phase I’m into! So we came back, did a big purge, and kept only the most functional platters.
This is a small example, but significant.
This stuff creeps in. We need to be really aware of our intentions. Why are we buying what we do? Why are we so attached to these things?
When we’re attached, it means we’re afraid. It puts us in a place of fear instead of trust. Our safety is threatened and we try to control to become safe. This shows up in our thoughts, actions and behaviours. In our things, our relationships and business. It seeps in.
So let’s look at what we’re attached to the most and why that is. Shine a light on it. Fear can’t exists in the light. What is it protecting us from or having us avoid dealing with? Let’s then look at how we’re actually safe, and how our things have nothing to do with it.
From there, let’s release old habits and thoughts, and be very intentional with what we spend our time and money on. Let’s make heart-based decisions coming from joy and love, instead of lack and fear.
Please check-out Lynne Twist’s book, “The Soul of Money” if you haven’t already.