Receiving sometimes has a bad rap. “It is better to give than to receive” reinforces those thoughts. What about parents telling their children that if they are bad then Santa won’t bring them presents? Every kid does things that they believe to be bad or wrong even when they try to be so good.
We instill so many beliefs and misperceptions of reality onto one another that we judge ourselves as unworthy. If we are unworthy, we don’t deserve. If we don’t deserve we block our ability to receive. This includes receiving compliments, gifts, money, acknowledgements, abundance, joy, peace, and just about everything that would bring us happiness.
Why do we do this? The human psyche is actually fragile. It doesn’t take much to traumatize a child, an infant, a toddler. When traumatized by believing who we are sucks, we close down a part of our heart and we can no longer receive. Then we begin what I call “the giving” which translates into doing for others, giving to others at our own expense, being the nice person, and allowing others to walk all over us. It is a slippery slope to the can’t say yes and can’t say no, can’t find true love, can’t have money, can’t have blessings, can’t, can’t, can’t receive. You can see how this can turn into a long period of not receiving. For some, most of their lives!
The inability to receive stops us from enjoying the gifts people give us. When we receive a gift, we are inhibited, maybe even shy, or we tell people they didn’t need to do that. We deflect compliments and acknowledgements.
When we pay attention, we may feel an actual physical sensation in our chest, our heart center, when we are blocked in our ability to openly and joyfully receive. That’s the closed or protected heart, where we may feel unlovable or not enough just as we are. Wonder what it would be like to have the heart open and receiving abundance in all ways. Not only would we be happier, we would actually share the gift of our self, the very thing we all want from each other, the real you, me, us.
Let’s open our hearts together with Bonnie and experience more community, connection, support, friends, love, joy and happiness.