Author: Marney K. Makridakis
When I recently surveyed many people about their truest desires, there were several themes that run consistently through the surveys like rivers in the rain: people want to have more creativity, more money, and more time.
One of the analogies I've been playing with is the idea that the universe is a big ATM machine, ripe and ready for our transactions. This universal ATM ("Art, Time, Money") comes with a few instructions. I'm highlighting three of them here:
1. When we put something in, we get something out. I believe that the cycle of giving and receiving describes the physics of a fulfilling life. In order to give to others, we must first give to ourselves, freely and generously, otherwise our outward acts of giving are not as pure as they might be. What we tend to forget is that there are SO MANY ways to give and receive! We can give to ourselves by expressing our passions, by cultivating high levels of gratitude, and by experiencing ourselves as who we truly are.
From there, all kinds of ways are paved for making tangible contributions to others in physical, tangible, and EASY ways. This is where the "ATM" gets really fun to play with, as we can see time and time again the cyclical nature of "in" and "out."
2. Negative thinking "costs" us something. If you put a bank card in a machine that is sponsored by a different bank, you usually have a fee withdrawn. Think about times when your thinking about something (the "in") didn't match up with what you really desired (the desired "out"). Have you ever had the sense that you are sabotaging yourself with negative thinking?
The bottom line is that negative thinking COSTS US, in terms of taking us backwards in our desired velocity of moving TOWARD what we want. For example, does it cost more to worry about money or not worry about money? What kinds of "bank fees" are we being charged that hold us back?
It's important to note that if we think negatively, we don't "doom" ourselves...we can STILL get the good stuff coming to us. But our wishes are coming to us more slowly because of all the fees being withdrawn!
3. Tapping into the true nature of who we are is the ultimate in convenience. When we are feeling at peace, worries about creativity, money, and time don't bother us. The great news is that just like a bank ATM, we can access our true nature ANYTIME, anywhere. At your nearest grocery store, on the street corner...anywhere you please! It's just a matter of knowing what works for YOU to get you there. It's different for everyone, but whatever gets you to your true nature quickest...that's your ATM password!
For further exploration: * Make a list of things you worry about. For each item, ask yourself, "Which costs more...to worry about this, or not worry about this?"
* How are you "spending" your time? How does spending time in qualitative chunks, rather than quantitative chunks, differ? In your life, what investments of time have paid off well? * What is your "password"...your shortcut to connecting with WHO YOU ARE? * Think about the places in your life (office, bank, kitchen with dirty dishes, in front of a blank canvas in the studio) in which you'd like to have access to the universal ATM. How can you integrate your "password" the next time you feel stuck in that spot?
Marney K. Makridakis is the Founder and Editor of Artella, a magazine and support network for writers, artists, and creative spirits, found at www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com http://www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com. Artella was recently named to Writer's Digest's 101 Best Sites for Writers and offers an abundance of free offerings and resources for creative people, including popular teleworkshops and e-courses, a monthly magazine that fosters collaborations among writers and artists, an innovative creative marketplace called The Shoppes of Artella, several lively online discussion groups, a creative bartering forum, and much more. Explore the wonderful world of Artella at www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com
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