Are You Open to Receive?

Sporty Car When something good comes your way, are you open to receiving it? This might seem like an obvious question and you might quickly answer “of course I am”, but I’m here to ask you – Are you sure about that? It’s not that I doubt your sincerity, it’s just that I know just how sneaky our reluctance to receive can be and how it can sabotage us in oh so subtle ways.

Not too long ago I was offered the opportunity to receive an unbelievably generous gift. You would think my initial reaction would be – Hell yeah! – and that it would have be a done deal right away. Yet, it wasn’t. In the process of working through my own beliefs, feelings, and resistance I learned a great deal about why it is so hard for many of us to receive openly and how that holds us back from having greater levels of happiness and success.

First off we are just not hardwired to feel totally deserving and receive with open arms and no attachments. It is not our nature because of the myriad of messages we have absorbed throughout our lives. Women tend to be even more reluctant to feel totally deserving of all they desire and are more likely to focus on nurturing everyone but themselves.

When faced with the opportunity to receive something really great – money, professional opportunities, generous gifts of time or things, or even real, unconditional love, do you find yourself?

Thinking - Who am I to deserve this?
Worrying - How will it appear to others if I accept this?
Agonizing – If I weigh the options from a million angles I’ll be in total control, right?
Fearing – If I accept this good thing will something bad be right around the corner?

After all, it might feel really unfamiliar, uncomfortable, and scary to simply open up to grace and willingly receive with a great deal of gratitude, right?

Here’s the thing, your resistance to receiving is not just about any one circumstance. Sure you can decline the offer for a babysitter, choose to get work done rather than indulge in a romantic date night offered by your partner, or pass when a friend wants to pick up the tab for lunch. Sometimes it is the right choice for the moment. Yet, if you are always turning away from the chance to receive or agonizing at the doorstep of opportunity, you’ll find that little by little doors close and the possibilities for your life personally and professionally dwindle to a trickle or a stagnant puddle.

Think of it this way. Opportunity and good fortune are like someone driving around looking for welcoming places to stop and stay awhile. If it sees the doors locked, the blinds drawn, or the sign in the window says “go away!” it’ll move on to a more welcoming spot. It’s only natural, wouldn’t you do the same?
You get to choose how appealing you look and feel to opportunity and good fortune. Do you want to be the closed up shop or the homey looking space when good things come looking for you?

Learning to receive openly takes practice and a willing spirit. Here are some ways you can catch yourself when you’re being resistant and enhance your ability to receive:

When presented with an opportunity or gift, pause before responding. Say nothing until you’ve had a chance to drink it in.
If you feel resistance surging into your mind and body, acknowledge it, allow yourself to feel it, and just let it be (don’t try to change it or push it away).
Check in with your head and your heart to see what you truly want to choose.
Breathe deep and receive without judgment or attachment.

As you start to break down the barriers of resistance and open the gates of your heart wide to receive, you will find more and more opportunities showing up in your life or business seemingly “out of the blue”. That’s how it works because remember that what you most want is out there and it’s closer than you think. Take the actions you need to but don’t forget to open the door or it will pass you by in favor of a more welcoming recipient.

Are you working really hard but not seeing the results you desire? Does it seem like everyone around you is landing prime jobs, clients, or other perks but nothing is coming your way? If so, contact me today. You may be standing in your own way of allowing what you desire to show up at your doorstep and that is a challenge I can help you solve.