Can we have it all?
Remember the scene from Oliver Twist and the wrath which fell upon him when he asked, “Please Sir, I want some more.” ?
But is this not an underlying feeling many have when asking for more or wanting it All?
Somewhere in our collective consciousness, many have decided that we cannot have it All, at least not without feelings of guilt, shame or justifications. To want more is to be selfish or greedy. We may appear ungrateful for what we already have. Having it All may seem unattainable or at the least, at the cost of enormous sacrifice.
Often those following a spiritual calling have renounced carnal pleasures and material possessions. And those of us on a spiritual journey living and working in modern society struggle between what we perceive to be a spiritual path and the trappings of the material world.
I can be this or I can be that. I can have a career or I can have a relationship, I can’t have both. I want to follow my dreams but I need to make a living. It’s one or the other. I can’t have my cake and eat it too.
Why Not?
Life doesn’t have to be All or Nothing.
What if we change our perspective on what it means to have it Al
First, we must define what All means to us.
Alls are very individual.
My All is different than your All. My All is different now than it was before.
Our All changes as we change.
Some Alls will be with us for a lifetime and others may not. All’s follow the course of nature. As with the seasons, there is a time for planting, growing, and harvesting. And there is a time for Alls to come to fruition and then fade away. What was once my most fervent All may now not even register.
Aside from defining what our individual All is, there are two components which comprise having it All, mindset and math.
If we think we cannot have it All, then we cannot. Period. To Let Go of limitations within our own beliefs is a crucial step to having it All. It takes opening our mind to the possibility of change.
Next, the math. We cannot give 100% of our energy to one thing and at the same time 100% to another. It does not add up. So, when we think about having it All, we cannot have all of our Alls at the same time.
We need to rethink the equation.
Several years ago I needed to make a choice about my All.
My All was not to have the most successful business in my field. My All was to have a good business that facilitated the enjoyment of my life.
My life, aside from my career was my All.
My All at the time was being a competitive equestrian. My choice was to put my All into training and preparing for a 5-year goal to compete on an International level.
My career took a back seat, it remained as status quo. My relationship managed, my social life died and my horses excelled.
After my focus on the competitions passed, my attention shifted back to business. Going All in I experienced the 5 best years of my career. My horses then took a back seat. Which was ok too.
Naysayers may say if I had focused on my career instead of my horses I could have had those best 5 years multiplied. As true as that may be, my having it All included my competitions.
To have it All requires us to release what we have been taught about it.
Instead of asking ourselves the question, “Can I have this or Can I have that?”, it comes to a simple equation.
And + Or + Me = And MorE
Adding Me or ourselves is the missing variable to the equation of And/Or.
It is the Me factor that determines if we can have it All or not. It is by bringing our personal intentions into the equation that changes it from an And/Or situation to an And MorE result.
Having it All is possible when:
1. We define what our All is.
2. We understand we can have it All. Just not all of the time.
3. We focus on the All we have and not on the All we want to have next.
To have it All takes living in the moment. Appreciating All which we naturally have, All of the time.
Are you ready, willing and able to go for your All?
