Oh, To Be Human

I admit it: I'm human. And sometimes that means, despite my deepest desire to be generous of heart, I find myself feeling petty and jealous. I look around and see people who have been able, for instance, to "work the system," collecting severance (yes that means they've been ousted), along with pensions and unemployment, putting together a stream of income that looks pretty darn good from my chair. As Obama extends benefits yet again, there's no need or desire to aggressively look for a job. Yet, as my client list for freelance writing and marketing consulting dwindles in this economy, I have no safety net, no phone call to make on a Sunday night to collect benefits due to lost income. And I am not alone. All self-employed people are in this same sinking boat.  No matter how hard and how long we've worked over the years, there is no unemployment check during dry spells.  So, forgive me, I do have my moments of wanting to go to the mountain top and scream "not fair."

But the more I scream "not fair" and focus on the negative, guaranteed, the less able I am to attract money into my life. My mindset pushes away abundance. Besides, I may not have a lot of "more" these days, but I truly do have plenty. There are people who are really struggling, who need those benefits and who work two or three part-time minimum wage jobs trying to cobble together a decent wage to support the family. And they find a way to feel grateful. Happy for what they have, rather than focus on what they don't have.

And that's what I want to do. Every day. In some small way: be grateful for all that I do have; be happy for those who are able to get ahead from a system that promotes and allows it; be aware that the universe will provide as long as I open my arms and my heart. Human me is going to give it a good try! - ps