The Difference Between Money and Abundance

and how to start opening yourself up to more abundance

A few months ago, I was out for a walk on a Saturday morning. Just as I was arriving back home, I noticed a bird eating a worm on the sidewalk. Something made me stop and stand still long enough to watch it. Later that same day, I saw a squirrel in the grass eating an acorn and another bird eating fruit that had fallen from a tree. I found all of it fascinating.

Maybe I was just being handed a good Substack intro, but before you close out of this and tell me to get a life, I want to point out that we are the only species on this planet that pays for anything. As far as I know, every other living thing doesn’t even know what money is, yet they’re fully provided for and seem to trust that their needs will be met in each moment, with almost zero concern for the next.

As humans, we’ve completely stopped living in the present moment. Instead, we plan (and worry) so far ahead that we’ve completely lost trust that we’ll always be ok and that we’ll always have what we need. In my experience, that fear has often come down to money.

If I don’t get some more clients soon, what will happen?

If I lose or leave this job, how will I afford my bills?

If I don’t make X amount of money, how will I afford everything I want?

I have to stay at this job I don’t like because it pays well.

[Insert your limiting beliefs here]

I’m not saying money isn’t important. I’m also not telling you to eat worms. But it’s not as important as we’ve all made it out to be.

When you put all the pressure on needing money to do what you need to do, you end up unconsciously limiting your life. If you can zoom out a little and open your mind to other possibilities, you can also open up to receiving in new ways.

Contrary to what the media or your personal history has taught you, the Universe is abundant. Nature is abundant. Its resources are endless. It’s how every living being is provided and cared for each day.

How to Start Opening Up to More Abundance

Affirmations

I introduced the affirmation below to a colleague a couple of years ago:

‘I am open and receptive to all forms of prosperity and abundance in both expected and unexpected ways.’

This was an affirmation I personally started using when I was living with my parents after a breakup and didn’t have a a job yet. After I introduced the same affirmation to my colleague, this was the text she sent me:

She not only found unexpected cash, but she received the perfume she wanted without needing to pay for it. Imagine all the other things that could come your way if you let go of the idea that you need money for it.

Don’t get stuck in a mindset that says ‘I don’t have the money’ or ‘I can’t afford that.’ Ask yourself, ‘What’s something I really want to do right now but have already decided I can’t do it because I don’t think I can afford it? You’re likely cutting yourself off from something you could easily receive if you can shift your thoughts a little or even just decide it’s going to happen.

This is why I created a digital worksheet called ‘The Abundance Mindset’. It includes affirmations like the one I just mentioned, but it’s also a daily practice that includes several actions (outlined below) that will shift your state of being to a more abundant one.

Gratitude

A gratitude practice is key to manifesting more abundance in your life. Dr. Joe Dispenza says, ‘gratitude is the ultimate state of receivership’.

The goal is to become more aware of what you do have, focus less on what you don’t, and truly feel grateful for it. At the end of the day, your perception creates your reality and when you train your awareness to focus on what you have, you naturally attract more abundance into your life.

Notice all the Forms of Abundance in Your Life

Abundance includes anything you feel you have a lot of. Signs of abundance around you could include food, water, a paid parking meter, clothes, books, friends, social connections, time, inspiration, or whatever you feel you have plenty of in your life.

When you expand the idea of abundance to things beyond money, you might notice how full your life already is. You may also realize that what you actually desire are things that have nothing to do with money.

Maybe what you actually want is to enjoy more time, freedom, love, or connection. Either way, you open yourself up and begin to value more than just the money you might be sacrificing your time and energy for.

Loosen Your Grip

This is where you let go of the how and the when. You keep yourself open to possibilities, but you let go of control. This takes practice.

But this is why I don’t stress when I feel uninspired to write. I don’t believe in ‘writer’s block’. I just trust that when the time is right, the inspiration will flow through. Until then, I live my life and stay relaxed in the knowing that the idea is going to come when it comes. I trust the flow now because I’ve seen it happen time and again — I’ve practiced it. Besides, we’re not meant to receive everything all at once. How overwhelming would that be?

I will admit, though, that it’s a lot easier to trust the flow when it applies to creativity rather than immediate survival like your rent payment, but when I’ve stayed open on my hardest days — the cash, the client, the opportunity, or other thing that I needed has just shown up even if it was down to the wire.

When I wanted to get a new phone two years ago (and really didn’t want to spend close to $1,000 at the time), I walked into the store with confidence. I asked if I could turn my current phone in for an upgrade, even though it had a small crack in the corner. I was told it was unlikely. At the literal last minute, the woman who was helping me dropped my old phone while inspecting it — another customer had bumped into her and the phone flew out of her hands and onto the ground. She spoke to her supervisor who approved the upgrade and discount.

I actually receive a lot of unexpected discounts and always recognize it as a form of abundance. I fully credit it to this hypnosis that is designed to reprogram your subconscious mind around money and abundance, so it can flow more effortlessly into your life. I was listening to it a lot around the same time I was using the abundance affirmation I shared.

Get Grounded

There’s a reason I place so much importance on a healthy diet and movement. It not only nourishes and grounds you — it keeps your mind clear and your awareness sharp. It’s almost a prerequisite for this level of conscious creation and the next most important step.

Trust

The Universe is always conspiring in your favor when you’re in a state of possibility, gratitude, and trust. The more relaxed and trusting I’ve become, the easier it all flows. I might still panic and stress from time to time, I’m only human, but I have too much proof of things always working out to linger in that state for too long.

I know it can seem like a huge ask to trust that your needs will be met in the moment you need them to be — it asks you to change everything you’ve been taught to believe, but you can’t let all of your security and happiness depend on how much money you have or make. It will make you miserable.

Last weekend, I decided to play a little game. I was walking to breakfast, and instead of grabbing my usual bottle of water from the grocery store on my way, I passed it and said, ‘God, I am open and receptive to all forms of abundance today.’

Long story short, a waiter walked by with a coffee — it spilled and splashed a little bit on my white socks. It didn’t bother me, but the manager asked if I wanted some club soda to wipe it off. He walked back with a nice, crisp bottle of sparkling water because he didn’t have any regular club soda. He told me it was on the house if I wanted to take it.

I found this whole scenario fascinating simply because I was at a clothing store the previous afternoon, and when they offered me water, I specifically asked if they had sparkling, (I don’t even like sparkling water on a normal day) but the Universe obviously took note of my request and went out of its way to deliver one to me.

Before I get carried away with too many stories (I have a lot), my point is that money is only a means — it can provide both security and fun, but it’s not the only way to receive it. Besides, it can actually be really fun to see how things come to you when you let yourself be open, trusting, and playful.

If you’re stressed about money (I’ve been there more times than I’d prefer to admit), turn your attention back to the present moment. Think of that squirrel eating an acorn or a bird receiving its nourishment for the day. Take note of what needs of yours are being met in the moment and what you may have received that you didn’t need money for. Your thoughts, beliefs, and state of being in each moment are creating what comes next anyway.

If you’re interested in 1:1 coaching - you can email me hello@theselfhealersguide.com and learn more on my website.