Enough is Enough
Ok, I'm going to date myself on this one, but ever since I started pondering the idea of gratitude and abundance, those hallmark themes that emerge within us whenever Thanksgiving approaches, I have that classic Donna Summer/Barbra Streisand duet ringing in my ears: "enough is enough...I can't go on no more now..." Yikes...and I thought I had banished the eighties from my psyche!
Oh well, no matter. What's on everyone's mind today, the day before Thanksgiving, is what's on my mind as well: gratitude. Of course, this time of year the mind also gets crowded with stress about family engagements and shopping and travelling et. al. but in the midst of the overwhelm, most of us do take time to reflect on the amazing abundance, the gifts, the people, the sheer richness of our lives. I know that I have much to be grateful for--wonderful family and friends, a full stomach, warm blankets and soft pillows, a cuddly kitty and a loving partner--what more could one want?
And that, it seems to me, is the real question: why do we always want more? When is enough, really enough?
Today I want to reflect on the lesson of abundance that I gleaned from the powerful work of Lynne Twist, whose Soul of Money Institute is committed to bringing about a major Life-Shift in our attitude towards money and abundance. Lynne's work is radical because she takes on the prevailing New-Age philosophy of so-called "prosperity-thinking", pointing out that the idea that there is "plenty of everything", or "more where that came from" (common platitudes in the prosperity literature),is blatantly false. There is NOT plenty of everything in this world. There is not enough water, not enough oil; there are not enough trees and not enough clean air to keep up with the endless population growth that is occurring across the planet. To think otherwise is wishful thinking at best and suicidal mania at worst.
The deeper truth, according to Lynne, is that our affinity for this idea of "abundance" remains rooted in the same scarcity consciousness that it supposedly abhors. What we really need to consider is not abundance--but sufficiency. We need to get clear on WHAT IS ENOUGH. We may be blessed with plenty, but we still struggle with when to say, "stop. I have enough". I'm not really trying to be a spoil-sport here. I don't for a minute believe that we should feel "bad" about our good fortune, living as we do in one of the world's few truly prosperous countries at this time in history. We are blessed and we should feel grateful.
But there is an opportunity here as well, an opportunity to shift gears, to slow down and maybe veer away from our entrenched patterns of consumption, an opportunity to venture forth down a new road: the road to simplicity, self-awareness, and sensitivity to the limited resources of this finite planet. (Anyone who doubts the veracity of this theory of limits should read the latest scientific studies about world fish populations--which, at the current rate of exploitation, will be completely wiped out in fifty years!).
So if you, like me, desire to wake up and step off the treadmill of "more is better", where do you start? Well, as my good friend and role model, Tom Lutes , always reminds me, new patterns, new ways of being and living, always begin with new practices. In this case, the Thanksgiving practice is simple: eat less. HAH, you say! Here we have one of the Life-Shifting mantras writ large, for this will be simple but it sure won't be easy!
So, will you join me? Can you enter the treasure vault of turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy and pecan pie...and know when to say, "enough"? This is the Olympics of disciplined consumption. If you can learn to be awake to your eating patterns at Thanksgiving, to know when you have had enough, to become sated but not saturated, well...there is hope for the planet.
Like peace on earth, sufficiency starts with you and me. At home. I am reminded of when I first encounterd the idea of re-cycling my cat food cans. Initially, the idea of rinsing out the cans and separating them from the other detritus repulsed me. Yuck. Yet, today I do it like second nature...and I'm glad I do. It's a small thing, yes, a gesture, but more importantly, it reinforces a different pattern, in me...and in the world.
So, let's take this one on. Let's head into Turkey Day with our head down, our eyes wide open and our periscopes up. When the second and third helpings get passed around, have this question in mind, "have I had enough"? Sure, you may not win the battle first time out and you may over-indulge in that sweet-potato pie.. but at least you will have made a Life-Shift in the right direction.
Besides, it won't hurt your waste-line.
Have a great Thanksgiving!
Dr J
Oh well, no matter. What's on everyone's mind today, the day before Thanksgiving, is what's on my mind as well: gratitude. Of course, this time of year the mind also gets crowded with stress about family engagements and shopping and travelling et. al. but in the midst of the overwhelm, most of us do take time to reflect on the amazing abundance, the gifts, the people, the sheer richness of our lives. I know that I have much to be grateful for--wonderful family and friends, a full stomach, warm blankets and soft pillows, a cuddly kitty and a loving partner--what more could one want?
And that, it seems to me, is the real question: why do we always want more? When is enough, really enough?
Today I want to reflect on the lesson of abundance that I gleaned from the powerful work of Lynne Twist, whose Soul of Money Institute is committed to bringing about a major Life-Shift in our attitude towards money and abundance. Lynne's work is radical because she takes on the prevailing New-Age philosophy of so-called "prosperity-thinking", pointing out that the idea that there is "plenty of everything", or "more where that came from" (common platitudes in the prosperity literature),is blatantly false. There is NOT plenty of everything in this world. There is not enough water, not enough oil; there are not enough trees and not enough clean air to keep up with the endless population growth that is occurring across the planet. To think otherwise is wishful thinking at best and suicidal mania at worst.
The deeper truth, according to Lynne, is that our affinity for this idea of "abundance" remains rooted in the same scarcity consciousness that it supposedly abhors. What we really need to consider is not abundance--but sufficiency. We need to get clear on WHAT IS ENOUGH. We may be blessed with plenty, but we still struggle with when to say, "stop. I have enough". I'm not really trying to be a spoil-sport here. I don't for a minute believe that we should feel "bad" about our good fortune, living as we do in one of the world's few truly prosperous countries at this time in history. We are blessed and we should feel grateful.
But there is an opportunity here as well, an opportunity to shift gears, to slow down and maybe veer away from our entrenched patterns of consumption, an opportunity to venture forth down a new road: the road to simplicity, self-awareness, and sensitivity to the limited resources of this finite planet. (Anyone who doubts the veracity of this theory of limits should read the latest scientific studies about world fish populations--which, at the current rate of exploitation, will be completely wiped out in fifty years!).
So if you, like me, desire to wake up and step off the treadmill of "more is better", where do you start? Well, as my good friend and role model, Tom Lutes , always reminds me, new patterns, new ways of being and living, always begin with new practices. In this case, the Thanksgiving practice is simple: eat less. HAH, you say! Here we have one of the Life-Shifting mantras writ large, for this will be simple but it sure won't be easy!
So, will you join me? Can you enter the treasure vault of turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy and pecan pie...and know when to say, "enough"? This is the Olympics of disciplined consumption. If you can learn to be awake to your eating patterns at Thanksgiving, to know when you have had enough, to become sated but not saturated, well...there is hope for the planet.
Like peace on earth, sufficiency starts with you and me. At home. I am reminded of when I first encounterd the idea of re-cycling my cat food cans. Initially, the idea of rinsing out the cans and separating them from the other detritus repulsed me. Yuck. Yet, today I do it like second nature...and I'm glad I do. It's a small thing, yes, a gesture, but more importantly, it reinforces a different pattern, in me...and in the world.
So, let's take this one on. Let's head into Turkey Day with our head down, our eyes wide open and our periscopes up. When the second and third helpings get passed around, have this question in mind, "have I had enough"? Sure, you may not win the battle first time out and you may over-indulge in that sweet-potato pie.. but at least you will have made a Life-Shift in the right direction.
Besides, it won't hurt your waste-line.
Have a great Thanksgiving!
Dr J
—Posted by Dr. Jeff Hull at 9:38 AM
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