Lovely friends,
I think most of us are pretty good at wanting things.
We can make the vision board. We can write the goals down. We can pray about them, meditate on them, journal about them, and tell Spirit exactly what we would love to create. Give me a notebook and a good pen and I can make a plan for just about anything.
Receiving is where things can get interesting.
Someone gives us a compliment and we immediately explain why we don’t deserve it. Somebody offers to help and our first response is, “No, no, I’ve got it.” An opportunity shows up and instead of being excited, we start wondering whether we’re qualified enough. Something begins going really well and there can be this tiny part of us waiting for the other shoe to drop.
We asked for the good thing.
Now the good thing is standing at the door and we’re peeking through the blinds.
I have become really interested in this because I think receiving is a much bigger part of manifestation than we sometimes realize.
We can spend a lot of time focusing on what we want to attract into our lives, but eventually we have to be able to let something in. That sounds simple until receiving bumps up against the beliefs we have carried about ourselves for years.
Maybe you learned that being a good person means always putting yourself last. Maybe asking for help feels uncomfortable. Maybe you have spent so much of your life being responsible that having someone do something for you feels almost unnatural. Maybe you can give love all day long and still have trouble believing someone could love you with that same generosity.
Money can bring this up too.
You can want greater financial abundance and still feel uncomfortable charging what your work is worth. You can want more success and worry about what people will think if you actually become successful. You can ask Spirit for opportunities and then talk yourself out of the opportunity because suddenly it feels too big.
Humans are fascinating.
This is where self-love becomes much more practical to me.
I don’t think loving ourselves means walking around feeling wonderful about ourselves every minute of the day. I have days when I feel confident and days when I question myself. I can know my worth and still have an insecurity show up unexpectedly.
What matters to me is what I do when it happens.
Do I automatically believe the thought that tells me I’m not ready? Do I make myself smaller because that feels safer? Do I turn away something good because receiving it requires me to see myself differently?
Those questions can tell us a lot.
I also think there is a difference between wanting something because it genuinely feels right for us and wanting it because we think having it will finally prove something about us. I have found that useful to look at when I am setting intentions.
What am I actually trying to create here?
Maybe I say I want more money, but underneath that I want freedom and security. Maybe I want a relationship because I want companionship, affection, and someone to share my life with. Maybe I want my work to grow because I want to help more people, create more, and have more choices in my own life.
Getting underneath the surface desire helps me understand what I am really asking Spirit to help me create.
It also leaves a little more room for surprise.
I can be very specific about what I want. I like specifics. I also know that some of the best things in my life have arrived differently than I would have planned them.
So I have gotten more comfortable saying, “This is what I would love, Spirit. Help me create it in a way that is for my highest good, and help me recognize what I need to do when an opportunity appears.”
Then comes my part.
I have to answer the email. Make the phone call. Apply for the thing. Have the conversation. Change the boundary. Learn the skill. Say yes when yes feels right.
And sometimes my part is simply allowing somebody to give something to me without immediately trying to give it back.
That one can be surprisingly difficult.
I think receiving well is something we can practice in very ordinary ways. When someone gives you a sincere compliment, try saying thank you and leaving it there. When someone you trust offers reasonable help, notice whether your automatic response is to refuse it. When something goes well, let yourself enjoy it before your brain starts looking for a problem.
See what comes up.
You may discover that receiving brings up guilt, fear, vulnerability, or old ideas about what you deserve. You don’t have to judge yourself for any of it. Those reactions give you something useful to work with.
This is one of the reasons I created my new Self-Love & Receiving Meditation: Align With Your Highest Good.
It’s a full hour because I wanted enough room to get underneath some of this. We work with the way you speak to yourself, old beliefs about worthiness, what you want to receive, and what you genuinely want to create next. Your angels, loving ancestors, Spirit guides, and loving spiritual team are invited to support you while you listen for whatever feels important for you.
There is also room for manifestation in this meditation, but I approach manifestation as a relationship between our inner world and what we actually do with our lives.
Our thoughts matter. Our beliefs matter. Our energy matters. Our choices and boundaries matter too.
And Spirit can be part of the whole conversation.
Maybe there is something you have been asking for lately. Instead of asking yourself one more time how to get it, you might try a different question:
“If this came into my life, would I actually let myself receive it?”
I think the answer can be really interesting.
And if you discover there is a part of you that hesitates, that’s okay. Now you know where some love and attention can go.
You can meditate with me here:
Self-Love & Receiving Meditation 💜 Align With Your Highest Good | 60 Minutes
https://youtu.be/YwivvMyUUgo
Much love,
Lisa 💜