Beneath almost every issue or fear lies the fear of “not enough:” the fear that we are not doing enough, that we don’t (or won’t) have enough resources, that we are not good enough, smart enough, successful enough.
The result is that we live in a scarcity mindset. This mindset drives a wedge between us.
If there’s a limited supply of a resource — time, money, attention, focus, opportunity — it means that whatever is given to one person comes at the expense of another person who also desires that resource.
We can see how this plays out right now in our society: in resistance to the movement for racial equality, in hoarding during the early stages of the COVID pandemic, and in countless other ways.
It also plays out in how we approach our work.
To counter this deficit of “not enough” we do more.
We push harder, we work more, and we give more of ourselves in service to others, often with the belief that we can prove that we are worthy of love and to earn the resources we are scared of losing or missing out on.
Service to others is noble, but when you do things for others as a way to earn their love, you will always be putting their needs above yours. If you do this with an expectation of what you will get in return, you may resentment and disappointment when you don’t see that return.
What if we placed more value on a difference resource, one that is in unlimited supply?
Love: The Only Unlimited Resource
Love is the one resource that will never run out.
Love is the province of the heart. In the Chinese Medicine system, the heart is connected to the element of fire.
They share similar patterns.
The heart’s function is to pump blood to all the organs. It doesn’t deplete itself by doing this.
Fire spreads by dividing. Sharing fire doesn’t deplete it; it helps it grow.
Like fire, love spreads by sharing it, and the sharing does not deplete it.
Both the heart and a fire share another important quality: giving to themselves first.
The heart pumps blood to itself first. Before you can divide a fire you must nurture it enough to have a sustaining fire.
So too with love. You have to give that love to yourself first, otherwise the love you give out to others will be desperate love; it will be love with an agenda to get something back or fill a hole.
When you truly love yourself, and love what you do and are driven by love for the people you serve — a true love, rather than a fear-based love that you’ll suffer consequences if you don’t serve — you will always have enough.
Love is a resource that doesn’t get depleted.
When your currency is love, you always have enough.
When you cultivate self-love first, then you know you are always loved. Instead of serving as a way to fill yourself up, you can serve from a place of fullness. You have more to give and what you give has greater value, because it is given freely.
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