This week I had the pleasure of being interviewed on LA Talk Radio show, “What Women Want” with Judy Goss. We had a fascinating discussion on the subject of abundance.
What is abundance?
We began by discussing a definition of abundance: of having what you want in life in plentiful amounts. Many people think of abundance as being about having financial wealth but it is rarely money that people really want more of: it is what money can afford them that people really desire. In my Magic Wand Survey of 72 women revealed that the top things women wanted more of were: time, balance, happiness/joy, money/financial security, love/connection, peace, fun, passion, excitement, energy and quality time with their family. More money can certainly help you afford more of these but many of them can be achieved with little or no money.
How to create more abundance?
Step 1: Reconnect with your authentic self
I explained to Judy that the place to start when creating a more abundant life is with reconnecting with who you are deep down. Reflect on things like: your perspective on your life, your values, passions and drives. Who we are, changes slowly and subtly over time.Then decide what you want more of in the future. If you fail to do this step you may work hard towards your goals only to find you are still dissatisfied.
Step 2: Plan change
I personally don’t think we should leave our future happiness to chance: an idea without action is just a dream. We have to take personal responsibility for our lives and plan change. Sure things may not go to plan, life/God/ The Universe have a nasty habit of throwing us curve balls, but if we plan and take action we are much more likely to succeed.
Step 3: Increase the health of your body and mind
I explained to Judy my belief that health and happiness are crucial to everything else in life working out. Having encountered much ill health personally and professionally I KNOW that your health is your greatest wealth, and optimizing it will always improve your life. Gratitude journaling is a simple yet excellent place to start: spending time writing down all of the things you are grateful for, now or in the past: all the abundance you have in your life already, that you may be missing out on noticing. Neuroscience research shows that gratitude journaling is good for your brain. We ended by talking about mindfulness practice which is a fabulous way to calm the mind and refocus your thoughts. Mindfulness practice ranges from meditation, focused breathing, gratitude journaling, talking a walk in nature (and really stopping to notice what’s around you) through to yoga.
To hear the full interview please visit: http://www.latalkradio.com/Women.php and look for the July 13th interview.
Courtesy of iStock. Lady shopping
Dr Leonaura Rhodes 