What is Abundance?

By Linda Gabriel

Defining Abundance

Before I tell you my views on abundance, I invite you to reflect on your own definition of abundance. Perhaps your definition includes having a lot of money and other things. When people hear “abundance” they often think in terms of material wealth.

I’m going to suggest that abundance isn’t about having things. I believe abundance is actually a state of consciousness. Abundance is a way of thinking, an attitude and a way of being. Abundance is a quality, not a quantity. As Wayne Dyer says, “Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.”

Abundance is Flow

Do you know what the word abundance means, if you look up its derivation? Abundance has two parts: “ab” which means “move away from,” and “unda” which means “wave.” Literally, abundance means moving outward in a wave. Look in a good dictionary and you will find that many words having to do with wealth or money involve images of water and the idea of flow. We even call our money “currency” from the word “current” which means flow.

My friend Tina used to be a world-class wind surfer. She used to tell me, “I don’t surf on the water. I surf on the energy moving through the water.” Without energy moving through it, water is likely to become stagnant and polluted. Abundance is not about amassing and hoarding, it’s about maintaining a healthy, nourishing flow. Abundance is a current of energy. It’s like the energy moving through the water.

In order to be useful, energy has to flow. This is true in wealth, health and even electricity. When you switch on the lights in your house, you’re allowing the current to flow. Wealthy people don’t just have money, they circulate it, and they are skilled at doing so. In order to live within the flow of abundance, you have to get your energy flowing.

How do we do this?

1. Acknowledge Abundance

One way to tune into abundance is to acknowledge the abundance you have right now. Take a moment to make a list of all that you have in abundance right now. For example, you can always hear music on a radio station, you have abundant air to breathe, your heartbeat, the number of seconds you have been alive. Notice how you feel when you acknowledge the current of abundance that is already flowing in your life. Whenever you refocus your attention away from your problems toward the positive aspects of yourself and your life, you automatically feel better and begin attracting more abundance to you.

2. Cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude

Gratitude can change your life. Oprah Winfrey has kept a gratitude journal for years in which she writes down four new things she is grateful for each day. How do you think this simple activity affects her out look on the world? Would you say Oprah has an abundant life? She’s learned this powerful secret: the more you say “thank you,” the more you will have to be thankful for.

3. Participate in Abundance by Giving

One of the simplest and most effective ways to increase the flow of abundance into your life is to affirm abundance by giving something away freely. It doesn’t have to be money, although tithing is a long-honored tradition. Tithing is when you give away a portion of all you earn, usually 10 per cent, to a good cause. Many people who tithe notice that when they tithe, their abundance increases as if by magic. If you have money, consider giving a little away in order to get the flow of abundance going. If you don’t have money consider giving away some of your time in service. When you give, you affirm that you are not only a receiver, but also a channel through which abundance flows.

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