“Let’s go ahead and put an offer in.”
“I do!”
“Tomorrow I will wake up early, and run on the treadmill for at least 35 minutes.”
Ever said any of these? Ever not followed through? I am guilty of not doing the last one, pretty much every Monday morning. Lack of decision leaves us in a Groundhog Day loop of life. Not following through is a decision, but it is a decision which leads us away from the life we want. In contrast, making decisions and following through with those choices, as hard as they are, is the reason certain people have the life they want. A great way to insert positive energy into this process is by using an abundance mindset.
Because I still have an old-school mentality about reaching the “American Dream”, I have been interested in purchasing a home for a long time. I’m guilty of spending countless of hours on Zillow looking at homes and, secretly, judging the paint color or drooling over kitchen cabinets. With a little help from a friend, Eric Cano (who is also my realtor), I finally took the plunge (Pun intended). Surprisingly, the process made me feel stressed beyond belief. I thought I was prepared; I had drawn up a list of pros and cons, I had a pre-approval letter and I had set a savings account for a down payment. But what I wasn’t prepared for, was the weight of the decision. Mel Robbins’ Ted Talk: How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over; explains for many of us, the first decision we make every morning is hitting the snooze button. We’d rather stay in our comfortable and warm bed than go out into the cold room. We go back on our decisions the moment we wake up, even to our detriment. I’ve noticed my priorities greatly affect my decisions, if you don’t prioritize running on the treadmill over sleeping, the bed wins!
So what really happened after I made my offer? A few months later, I ended up walking into my first home. As Mel puts it, getting what you want is simple, but it’s not easy. Making the initial decision was the first step. If I wouldn’t have had Eric to push me through, to give me advice, to help negotiate and to be on my side, I would have changed my mind. But there was another underlying tool in the box. I wanted to prove to myself and others like me, there was a piece of the pie reserved for me. I too could share in the “American Dream.”
This dream has a beautiful message and that message is abundance. Abundance is the belief that there is more than enough of everything to go around for everyone. Instead of living a life of comparing ourselves to the Jones’ or envying our co-worker for getting a promotion, it sets us in a position to celebrate their wins. It frees us from the worry of not being enough, or of not having enough, it is the driving force of prosperity and success.
An abundance mindset asks you to be positive and feel worthy, and to be grateful often enough, that if you make a wrong turn you can see the small silver line glistening out of the darkness. Dust yourself off and get up and start all over again. Oh and by the way, Mel’s way of kicking up the decision making bulldog in you is to do what your impulse asks you to do within the first five seconds of feeling it.
When Andrea Arnold, the director of American Honey, was asked about a specific tough scene with Shia LeBeouf, she stated, “she doesn’t really write the scenes knowing how they will turn out.” She directs and takes a risk into the unknown and accepts it might work out or it might not. Making decisions is tough, but allowing the decision to be snoozed, or worse, not making it at all, leaves you stuck and stunts your growth. When friends asked me if I had closed on my property for the 11th time, this wonderful decision to be a homeowner turned sour. I ran away from the question and I doubted myself. Luckily, I stuck to my initial decision because I wanted to and even had to see it through.
Making decisions with an abundance mindset opens up your inner magic. We shouldn’t gamble the tiny minutes we have on this earth by staying in the same place. I’m not saying you have to make decisions blindly; I was as prepared as my capabilities allowed me to be, before my purchase. Were there a million things I wasn’t aware of? Yes, but we have to accept the premise while in unknown territory.
Merging the power of decision making with believing there’s a slice of pie for you, your neighbor and the stranger down the street not only creates bountiful energy for you but also for the people who surround you. Who doesn’t want to be the glass half full person? I do! Sign me up. Go out there and believe it will happen, there’s enough for us all.