Have you ever seen a dog chasing its tail? I’m sure you have. The more important question is; have you ever seen a dog catch it and then be satisfied? My little dog, Joia, will run around and around trying to catch her tail until she literally loses her balance, through dizziness, and falls over. It’s funny for me to watch, but I’m sure frustrating for her as it is never a successful or satisfying pursuit. This is something to consider as we chase things in our life. While we’re talking about domesticated dogs, what about food? They are always sniffing, searching and fossicking for it. They always seem to be chasing it, when at least once, or twice, every day, they receive a beautiful bowl of food. No chase required!
It seems that the futile chasing of certain things is a regular pursuit for many people, yet we do it all the time. Why? Because, what is actually required to achieve success, happiness, health and abundance is not that logical based on how we, as a society, have been conditioned. What many people fail to realise or understand is that receiving an abundance of food, money, love, success, recognition, health or whatever else we, as humans, desire is less about the chase and more about an energy, a faith and a mindset.
How do I know? Simple, I have been chasing success for much of my life, only to experience loss, loneliness and devastation. I chased recognition as a professional footballer, only to be publicly and humiliatingly sacked. I chased the ultimate body as a symbol of success and validation, only to find myself more alone than ever. I chased business and financial success in two businesses, working 7 days per week, only to find myself in almost $100,000 debt. So, I have chased and chased for much of my life, thinking that working harder was the answer, only to be proven horribly wrong time and time again.
I think the most frustrating thing for me, when I was in the midst of many a futile chase, was watching people around me who weren’t working anywhere near as hard as me, but, experiencing the results in life that I was chasing. I didn’t know what I didn’t know, and I couldn’t work it out. In my own head, I just needed to work even harder… wrong! I am grateful that I have learned and now know what I didn’t know, and, can share it with you to help you avoid my mistakes. I learned three very important things; firstly, you can’t outwork low or no expectancy, secondly, you need to move from a place of desperation to one of inspiration, and thirdly, you need to have faith that, if you believe and follow the first two tips, you will receive exactly what you want.
Pass it up, and, expect to receive…
As I was writing my latest book. The Wellness Puzzle, I knew I wanted to have seven pieces of the puzzle. The number seven is significant in many ways, and has meaning; in ancient times, in most religions, in its magical properties, in matching our memory capacity, in fitting with our attention span, and in the fact that it seems to be the most popular number. As I started writing the book, I did have seven pieces, but one of them didn’t seem right and I knew something significant was missing. I knew it was missing, because it had been missing from my own life for so many years. That piece is faith.
In my life, the more I strived and chased things the further away from what I was chasing I seemed. Have you ever had a picnic at the beach? Have you ever been approached by seagulls hungry for your scraps? I’m sure you’ve experienced both of those things. Next time you are there, try this; get some bread, chase the seagull and try and place the bread in its mouth. What will happen? The more you chase the seagull, the faster it will fly away from you. When you place the bread on the ground, what can you expect? Yes, that the birds will come and eat the bread. No need to stress, no need to chase, you just need to lay the crumbs and the rest is predictable, right?
I can tell you exactly when things started changing in my life. It was when I stopped chasing and started expecting to receive. This doesn’t mean you stop working, trying, persisting and enduring. It means you do it without desperation, without negative thoughts, without fear of failure and without doubt. It means you act, though inspiration and with the expectation that what you want will be delivered to you. Every day now, I pray to God, and I pass up all of the things I can no longer chase, and I thank him for delivering to me the results I want. Then, most importantly, I have total trust and faith that he will deliver, and, I will receive.
It works! The things that are now flowing into my life are unexplainable, based on how little chasing I am now doing. Money, opportunities, referrals, connections, resolutions, healings and solutions are coming. Not always in the time frame I want, but that is part of the faith component, which is trusting that it will be received, even if not exactly when I want it. I hope this making sense, and, I want to make sure you understand what I’m saying. I’m not suggesting you need to have a Christian faith, although, based on the amazing things that have happened in my life, I would encourage it. I’m talking about letting go of your desperate chase for a better life, and simply start expecting that, with the right thoughts, intentions, expectations and effort, you will receive it.
I was talking to one of the wonderful people, I have the privilege of working with, about this the other day. In fact, it was that conversation which inspired this blog. She is an incredible lady, who is doing amazing things, but just not getting the results she deserves. She works, she gives, she serves, she helps, and she chases, but she was not receiving what she deserved to be getting in life. It was then I said to her, it’s time to stop chasing and start receiving. As a result, she created an affirmation for herself, and she shared with me another great saying; ‘Let Go, Let God!’ I’m looking forward to my next conversation with her, to hear all about what she’s been receiving.
As always, this blog is a gift for you, if you are open and ready to receive it. For too long we have been taught to; chase our dreams, chase a better life, chase more money, chase work, chase clients, and chase anything we want. Well, my friend, chasing will leave you dizzy and exhausted, just the dog chasing its tail. Please take notice of this message. You are good enough, you deserve abundance, you are already doing the work, so why not just start expecting that you will receive everything, and I mean everything, you desire. Make a decision today that you will; STOP CHASING AND START RECEIVING!