I recently had a life-changing ephiphany around deserving.
All my life I have worked hard for everything I have. I prided myself on my hard work and my work ethic. I am dedicated and motivated and I get shit done.
My work ethic has lead to my success, no doubt. Yet I can look around at the world and see deserving people who don’t get what they deserve and less-deserving people who have more than they need.
Throughout my career I’ve seen the worst employees promoted and the best employees overlooked. Lazy and incompetent co-workers somehow managed to keep their jobs when better employees were fired.
I’ve spent most of my life, my career, and my business proving myself to the world. And then it hit me, what if what we get is not directly equal to how deserving we are?
What if all I have to do is shift my mindset from proving myself to being open to receive?
I care about the work I do and I want to have a positive impact on the world. I will continue to work hard. I will continue to be dedicated, motivated, and productive. But what I get in this world is not directly related to how hard I work. And the secret to getting more is simply wanting more.
What might happen if I stop trying so hard to prove myself and simply receive? Surely I will do good with all that I receive.
What if I allowed myself to take before I give?
What if I received before I gave?
What if I filled myself up up up with all the best things in life and then used that abundance to give back to the world (instead of the other way around)?
What if I’m already deserving and there’s nothing more I have to do?
Wow. Well, that revelation certainly changed my life. I’ve been going about this all wrong. What I get is not directly equal to what I deserve. So how do I get what I deserve if it’s not by the very act of deserving it?
Be awesome
Be as awesome as possible and do good work every day. I mean, let’s face it, there are days that go by and you do work but you aren’t really putting your heart in it. You’re going through the motions. What would it look like to be intentional in all you do? It would look like awesome!
Do your best and forget the rest
Working harder/more/better leads to burnout, not success. So do your best and forget the rest. It’s all you can do, really. Give yourself a break, okay?
Ask for what you want
Stop working hard while you wait for someone to reward you for it. Generally speaking, people who ask for what they want are the people who get what they want. This includes asking to be considered for opportunities, asking for a raise, and asking a potential client to work with you.
Have big desires
And while we’re talking about asking for what you want, go ahead and have BIG desires. Allow yourself to want more, without your logical brain shutting you down with all the reasons you can’t have what you want. Go ahead and want more, and want big!
Believe in yourself
To get what you deserve, and you deserve good things, you have to believe in yourself. Believe that you deserve good things. Believe you can have good things. Believe in yourself.
Receive before you give
Stop trying to prove yourself. Stop working so hard today for a future reward. You’ve got to receive before you give. This goes beyond basic self care- fill up your cup and let it overflow and you’ll have so much more to give! That means receiving from yourself and others. Let good things in. Be open to receive!