Mind of Snaps - Positivity Podcast | Ep. 50 - "Let Go Of Lack"

Welcome to "Let Go Of Lack" - the 50th Episode of the Mind of Snaps Positivity Podcast!

This is a special podcast series that is separate from the regular Mind of Snaps Podcast, with a new release (typically) posted every Monday for Patreon supporters!

It is my goal to create as much positive & encouraging content as I can during these intense, uncertain times we're faced with. 2020 was so much more than anyone expected it to be, and nobody should have to take it on alone. The only way I can continue to do so, is with your help.

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Hang in there, friends... we're all in this together.

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Jessy (Mind Of Snaps / SheSnaps)

www.MindofSnaps.com

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Transcript

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Good morning. Hello, my lovely friends Happy Monday. If it's Monday, when you're listening to this, it could be a different day of the week. I suppose that's entirely possible. Anything is possible really, right? You might be able to tell I've got some energy. I'm feeling good today. No one good. Woke up this morning on time, got outside got to spend some time enjoying the sunrise, which was really nice. Feeling good. And this weekend was really nice. Thank you again, everyone who supports the Patreon and thank you again, to everyone who showed up for our mindful video chat on Saturday. Thanks to everyone who participated in the art showcase night on stream that was super cool. Those are always so interesting and so inspiring. I wrote down on my whiteboard today, create more art because that really, really hit me that I definitely am not doing enough artistic stuff that I used to really enjoy doing. So thanks, everyone for continuing to inspire me every fucking day. I just love it. And I love you for it. That's not the only reason I love you though. I think you're great for a million different reasons. But anyway, Anyway, today, I want to talk to you about lack. Yeah, lack. This, this goes back to the morning that I was so excited about I I got up this morning at five, well really at 430. But I stayed in bed until five because I was determined to wait for my alarm to be the thing to actually wake me up. So when I when I woke up before my alarm, I decided I would wait until I heard the noise before I actually exited my bed. And I kind of just laid and meditated instead, because my brain was already starting to wake up. But 5am woke up, made some coffee, Alex was already out of the house. So I decided today instead of having my coffee in on the back patio area, which is kind of like enclosed and private, which I definitely love about it at various points, I decided to go out onto the balcony, which is outside of our bedroom. I don't spend as much time out there. But I love it. It's nice because you know we're on the second floor. And it's it's a safe place where I can go out with the dogs with the cat. And know that I don't have to worry about really anything because boos not gonna try to like jump off the second floor, you know, so she, she gets to go out, we get to go out and we just get to observe things. I really enjoy that about it. At our last house, we used to call the big windows in the living room dog TV. Because all day every day, basically the dogs were just positioned in various ways in the living room just staring out the windows. And during certain nice times of the year, they would want to go out and just lay on the duck. But it wasn't as easy for them because there were definitely a lot more bugs living in the woods where we were, they didn't get to spend as much time outside even though we lived in an area that basically was like the wilderness. So when we were moving, I remember telling Alex when he was originally out in Phoenix out here looking for places for us to live. Before I had made the move with him. I remember telling him like there are a few things that we obviously need. But outside of those, here's this long list, it would be so nice to have but I'm not attached to it, you know. And one of the things was I would love to have nice big windows and ideally some kind of a good view of outside that the dogs can keep up their dog TV habit and the cat because she loves staring out the window too. And I remember moving in and after hanging out downstairs for a little bit in our in our living room, realizing like oh no, we don't have dog TV here. Like the animals can all go on the back patio, which is nice because booze never been able to really go outside unless she was held. But they can't watch things happen the way that they once did. And then I kind of remembered this balcony that had been completely underutilized and started using it more after I got the desk in the bedroom and started working off of that more. I started opening up our bedroom door to the balconies the animals could wander and started going out there more so I could sit and read or journal or meditate or whatever. And it took I don't even know how many days or weeks of me spending more time on there before finally click like well, they actually do have dog TV but they have like a way more high def version of it now. Because instead of spending the majority of their day staring out a window, all of the animals can now go sit outside in the safe area, and breathe the fresh air and see the birds and see people walking with dogs. And just there's so much for them. So I spent some time out there again this morning. And it was, like I said, it was like 5am. So the sun hadn't really started to rise yet, it was still dark. But the ambient light was growing. And it was so peaceful and so beautiful. And I'm just sitting out there on my chair and ends those laying there and booze laying there. And Capone is laying by the door because he likes to stay inside and look outside more for whatever reason. And in that moment of I got to I got to enjoy that moment of that wonderful exhalation of a perfect deep breath. For such a short time before my brain was like, this would be perfect. If if, like I had this moment of perfect, and then quickly my brain was like, No, no, no, no, this would be perfect. If it would be so nice if Alex were here, instead of out driving, and he could be sitting in this chair next to me, and we could be talking and having our coffee together. And I was like, well, but this is nice. I enjoy my alone time too. So that's, you know, it is what it is he's out driving, we all got to make money, right. And I kind of settled into the moment again. And then it was, this would be perfect if only the music could make it all the way out here. Because one of the first things I usually do in the morning, when I wake up is turn on music, put on something peaceful or something that's kind of light and, and friendly and happy that gets me started on my day, but doesn't necessarily make me think about anything. Try to avoid lyrics for the first you know, hour or two. But I had the music playing on this upstairs speaker we have, but it's all the way across the house. So while I was inside, I could hear it perfectly. But as soon as I stepped outside with all the noise of outside as well, I lost it. And it just became this faint hint of classical music playing. So that was the next thing where I'm just sitting there. This is so nice. But it would be so much nicer if I could hear the music more. So my brain immediately seeking to fix this, quote unquote problem of lack. Just without thinking, I grabbed my phone and I started searching on Amazon. Well, I could I could potentially invest in another sono speaker. And I could link those up. And then I can I can have one in the bedroom and one in the meditation room across the house. And that way when I am outside, I can still hear the music really well. So this perfect moment outside that I was so excited to enjoy this beautiful fresh air and this wonderful temperature was probably like 7075 max. Suddenly, I wasn't even there anymore, I wasn't in it, I was on my phone looking for something to add to it. I caught myself put the phone down, started space now again, just enjoying the weather enjoying watching the ambient light grow as the sun started to rise off in the distance. And then another thought office would be perfect if I could get better seats for up here. Because the seats on the balcony are just two very simple kind of wicker chairs that the previous owners or renters had left behind. So there's just two of them, no coffee table or anything. And I'm sitting kind of close to the railing on the balcony so I can put my feet up. And that was the next thought of like, oh, if we have like a one of those nice outdoor couches, that would be perfect, because then I could I could bring a blanket out here and I could stretch my legs out and I could just kind of kick back and relax and really settle into this. So that I went without even fucking thinking. Next thing I know I'm back on Amazon looking for just that perfect patio set that would go great on our upstairs balcony. caught myself again, with the phone down again, started enjoying that continuing of the beautiful sunrise that has has begun. And then I had the thought of those low five videos I like to watch on YouTube. There's one of them where this girl is sitting outside and she's got a little table set up and she's on her laptop working and she's got like a couch and little string lights and like outdoor carpets and stuff. And it looks like a very cozy bedroom or living room office kind of setup but outside on a balcony. And that was where my brain went. Oh perfect out here. If I could get some little lights, and if I had some mats and maybe a little outdoor bed for the dogs to lay on when they come out here. And this time, I managed to not go on my phone and start looking for it. But I still lost my present moment, which was so fucking beautiful. Because I was in my head daydreaming about how perfect I could make that patio or that balcony so that I could really enjoy those mornings. Because obviously in that moment, I wasn't really enjoying it because I was missing so much. How silly, right? How silly. After kind of catching myself a few times doing the same thing it finally caught me like, wait a minute, what am I doing? The person who I was just months ago before this move, when before we had a house secured out here, when I was daydreaming about all the perfect things I would love to have in my house. One of the things I specifically said God, it would be so nice. I've always wanted this since I was a little girl. And there was this beautiful home and an old neighborhood where the bedroom had this nice little balcony, a very small one, but a nice little balcony, right off of the bedroom with a screen door. I remember seeing that all the time being like God, that'd be so great, wouldn't it to wake up and just be able to go right outside. And I remember thinking that would be perfect, but it would need more space like that one, you can just walk out and turn left or right. And that's it. There's no walking room like the dogs wouldn't be able to go out there with me or anything. But that was one of the things that I wanted, I was like God, it would be so nice. It's a nice to have but not a necessity. If we could find a place that has a balcony by the bedroom or has like a door off of the bedroom. So I can just go right outside. And here I am months later living that dream. And still looking into the future for how it could be better. I'm still looking at it as if I'm in a position of lack. So I took some time to kind of count my blessings. And to reorient myself to where I am now. I started thinking about the list I've given Alex of here's the things we definitely need. And here's all the things would be so nice to have. But it's definitely not important like we'll make do with whatever it is we have. It was a balcony, off the bedroom, lots of windows with lots of natural light, check and check. It was being able to have our own individual offices and a spare bedroom that we would eventually be able to use, ideally for kids but for guests to come visit. And in this particular instance, we decided to turn it into a meditation room while we're waiting on the ability for people to visit. And while we definitely don't have any people puppies, so check check check. I said I would love to have a bigger bathroom and a big bathtub because I haven't had a nice bathtub since one of my old rental houses when I was like 20 I think 21 maybe I would love to have a bigger closet and a pantry because my bedroom storage and my kitchen storage and the last house was so minimal check check. This isn't this isn't meant to be a moment of bragging of like, Oh, look at this wonderful house I'm in because I really, I'm still blown away by it every day. I'm so very grateful. But it's it's more to illustrate that even in moments where you find yourself with everything that in the past you would have wanted for yourself, your brain might still try to tell you it's not enough, your brain might still try to pull you from the beauty and the joy and the magic and the mystery of the present moment. By telling you, you are lacking something you better go find it. So then I started reflecting on all the other funny ways that I pull myself out of the present. For the sake of seeking something that I feel is so important to it happens in little ways, not just the I'm in the middle of a sunset, and I'm wishing I had some other way to enjoy it more, which is just so silly. But it's like in conversations with friends or with Alex, we'll have a thought we'll remember an actor or we'll think of a word and or we'll be trying to think of a word and we'll be sitting there talking. And we already know who the other is talking about like, oh, that guy from that thing. We're both on the same page, we acknowledge that we know who we're talking about. But we can't think of the name or Oh, it's that. What's that word? I know, we're on the same page, we get it. But rather than allowing ourselves to just continue our conversation we feel we're lacking something we desperately need, which is just that word or that name that will drive us crazy if we don't figure it out. And that's just a story we tell ourselves. That's Not the actual fucking truth. But we tell ourselves that story, I'm lacking this piece of information, I cannot continue without it. And so mid conversation, one of us will grab our phone and look up that actor's name, look up that word we can't find. And then Perfect, now we're safe, we can go back to our conversation. But it's gone. We forgot what we were talking about. It's totally gone. Because we were so busy thinking we were lacking something, even though we had the gist of it, that we went out and sought that information to our own detriment. So the more I reflected on this notion of lack, the more I realized that it pops up in so many different ways office would be such a great moment, if only, it would be so nice to have this right now, as if each moment that I was experiencing wasn't nice, in its own way wasn't beautiful in its own manner. So that became the kind of common theme of my thoughts this morning is, wow, I operate from a scarcity mindset. Often, I operate from a belief system of lack frequently. And it stops me from being in the present, which is where I know, deep within me and logically, I know that in the present moment, I feel best when I'm present when I'm connected with everything, whether it's perfect, or it just is what it is. I feel great when I'm present. And this notion of lack keeps me from that. So I enjoyed a little bit of my time pondering that I meditated a little bit while I was sitting out on that balcony. And then I grabbed a course in miracles, which is the book that I have been reading on and off lately, and I'm planning on doing a YouTube series on and I got to the second section of chapter one. And I started reading, and it was just so perfectly timed. Hello universe. Yes, this is what I'll talk about today. So so the quote that I read that stood out was lack implies that you would be better off in a state somehow different from the one you are in. Lack implies that you would be better off in a state somehow different from the one you're in. I operate out of that mindset, we operate out of that mindset. So frequently, I would be better off if we got to stop looking for the moments where we would be better off and start seeking to enjoy the moments we are actually in. Otherwise, we're just stuck in this almost future that we're not quite in yet. We're just stuck wishing for things that may not ever happen. And if they do, we would only probably take a minute to enjoy them before we would start thinking Ah, it would be perfect if like I wanted to be in Phoenix so bad, I wanted this move so badly. I craved and dreamed of this house like everything. And it's so beautiful. And it's so perfect. And it took such a short amount of time, we've been here for three months. And it took such a short amount of time before I started saying this is not enough. But it is it's more than enough. More than enough, I am not in a position of lack. And if you're listening to this podcast, sure that the situations can always be better, quote, unquote, there can always be more. But it does not mean that you are lacking anything, you are in a good position. It might be a painful one, you are certainly going to still be dealing with problems the same way we all will. But stop operating from this mindset of lack and start looking for all that you have start looking to find ways to revel in all that you have right now to really immerse yourself in the gratitude for how fucking blessed you are for how fortunate you are really, really. So then I started after after getting on this mindset on this train of thought I started doing a little bit of research. When I say you are in a better position than you may think you really should not be operating from a position of lack. There are some important things to remember in terms of the most necessary things we have for our resources for our lives right now. It's very likely that if you're listening to this podcast that you have the majority of these things covered. One of the first ones I thought of is just kind of a simple one. You're listening to this podcast, it means you have access to the internet. That's wonderful. Nearly half of the world does not have an internet access nearly half of the world. Can you imagine your days without the ability to quickly browse and look for information that you're seeking. Can you imagine if you couldn't connect to the people the way that you do through the internet right now? Nearly half of the world doesn't have that. Moving on to the really crucial things, the really important things, water, can you go get a glass of water right now? Maybe it's not perfect water, maybe it doesn't taste the best, but it's at least clean. Maybe you would prefer to have Fiji water or whatever. But you've got tap. 785 million people in this world don't have clean water close to home. 785 million people. What about after you, you've drank your water and you've gotten yourself hydrated for the day or you've had some coffee, and now you need to poop? Do you ever think about how fortunate you are to have the clean access to a toilet that you have in your home? There are 2 billion people in the world who do not have access to a decent toilet of their own 2 billion. What about food? Sure, it would be nice would be great if we could all have steaks or whatever your favorite food is all the time. Sure, it's a shame that you don't have the money or the means to be able to really treat yourself. component really had something to say about that. You are not in a position of lack just because you can't treat yourself to all of the luxury or the lavish food that you want. If you can eat, if you can nourish your body. Be grateful for that 690 million people in the world are food insecure. And now that number is rising due to COVID 690 million people are going to bed at night hungry, not sure where their next meal will come from. And we and I'm really pointing myself with this sometimes, like, we get stuck in this Oh, poor me. I can't have that one thing I want. Oh, poor me, I can't afford to buy myself sushi this week, because it's too expensive for me. But I have pantries full of food. It's just not what I want in that moment. And I want to eat oatmeal. I don't want to have that particular thing. Even though I bought it for myself, even though it's healthy, I want this. So I believe myself to be in a position of lack, which is inaccurate. What about your living situation? Sure, it might be nice to be living on your own, or it might be nice to be able to furnish your place a little bit nicer, it might be nice to be able to have a more technologically Friendly House or something with more space or whatever. We all have those things we look at and say it would be nice if but if you have security of your home right now be grateful for that 150 million people globally are homeless, and more than 20% of the world's population lacks adequate housing. So we're talking about those really rundown spaces where you can barely call that a living experience, you know, lack implies that it would be better off in a state somehow different from the one that you were in. The situation that you're in right now, if you're listening to this podcast is something that you can make a lot of stuff happen from. You are in a privileged position, whether it feels like it or not. If you have food, water, housing, internet, you are already operating with some foundational stuff that can help you to completely transform your life and connect to others. When you have those things covered, you can allow your brain to think creatively about how to better impact your future, how to care for yourself and how to care for others. Let's start operating from an attitude of gratitude rather than a mindset of lack. So my challenge to you this week, is to notice whenever your mind tries to tell you that you are lacking something and then take some time to gently correct the thought. If you genuinely are lacking something that is necessary for you to survive and live your life reach out. You've got a community that cares. I'm sure there are other people in your life who would love to be there for you. But if You are not dealing with food insecurity, struggling to get water struggling to survive that kind of stuff. Check yourself, ground yourself again in the present moment. Allow yourself to just sit in Enjoy your current circumstances without feeling the need to add add add just because that's how we've been programmed to operate. When you're struggling to feel optimistic or positively towards your surroundings, remember the stats I shared earlier. Take some time to practice gratitude out loud, if possible out loud. Maybe even take some time to walk around your living space. Place your hands on all the things you have that you could be grateful for. Call some of the people that you love and let them know that even if you can't see them much right now, your love for them is still as strong as ever. Hold space with them over the phone or over FaceTime or discord, video calls or zoom or whatever. Above all else, though, create the mental space that allows you to see the beauty in your current life. Because it's there. It's there. Remember, be kind to yourself, be kind to others, and manifest dope shit.