Having and Wanting
/In the summer of 2009, Sheryl Crow released her hit song "Soak Up the Sun." The lyrics are about finding contentment, but the line that really struck me was, "It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you've got."
Use this week's practice to think about what you have and want.
Having and Wanting
Make a list of 5 things you wanted and now have (these can be feelings, things, experiences).
Review each item on your list and feel a deep sense of gratitude for having what you wanted and wanting what you have.
Make a list of 3 feelings, things, or experiences you want in addition to what you currently have.
Beside each of those items, describe how you will feel when you have what you want.
Consider for each item: what would it take to get what I want?
Make a plan for getting what you want...sometimes it helps to work backwards from the goal - I did this, but before that I did this, and before that I had to do this, and before that I...
Finally, look over your work from step 1-6 and be in gratitude for it all. Make this statement yours - "I am grateful for what I have and I am grateful for what is coming to me."
You can have what you want and want what you have.
In Step 4, some people realize they want a feeling more than a thing - they think the thing will bring the feeling - but they realize the feeling can be theirs right now by deciding to feel that way and the thing isn't required.
Experiment with something on your want list and see what the feeling is what you are seeking. For example, a new expensive car would make me feel like I was successful, but I could also decide that I am successful. The car could be fun, but really I'm searching for the feeling of being perceived as a success.
Having and wanting is really about thinking and feeling.
Sometimes we just need to remember we have what we want.
As Byron Katie says, “Atheist, agnostic, Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, pagan—we all have one thing in common: we want happiness and peace.”
If you want to read the full lyrics of this great song, click here.
And to watch her video that will make you long for summer on the beach, click here.
Sending you love,
