Conscious Receiving
I’m playing with the idea of conscious receiving today. Nice job! Congratulations! You look dapper today. I love you. I appreciate your helping me with this. You are amazing, and I’m so glad we are spending time together.
What’s spinning around in your consciousness when someone says these things to you? Do you grasp for a quick retort, feeling slightly uncomfortable and not sure what to say in response? I’m familiar with that one. Why do we sputter and wriggle around when someone notices and recognizes us with these gifts?
Where does that come from?
Sometimes, we mistakenly assume compliments have hidden agendas or expectations. You might recognize some of these automatic responses:
- “It was nothing.”
- “You would have done the same thing.”
- “Awww, shucks.”
- Or maybe you skim over the offered gift and move on without acknowledgment.
These spontaneous responses come out as self-protections. We try to shield ourselves from the vulnerability that accompanies our fear of those wily strings. It seems garish to just accept what’s being offered, so we go with our automatic reflex to deflect someone’s kind offering.
Give your cup a chance to refill.
What if we took a split second to calm the noise our reflex creates and let kind gestures soak in? There’s a human being offering to connect with your heart; don’t you want to receive that? How does it feel when you offer something nice to someone, and they deflect? Ouch! It’s shocking and makes you wonder why you even bothered to say anything.
Give yourself a moment to pause and recognize the generous goodness coming your way. Your heart wants to be heard and seen, so give your cup an opportunity to be filled. Receiving invites the connections we crave. Remember those connections you wanted more of in your life? You asked for it, and the next step is to receive.
“I love you.” “That feels good. Thank you.” “You are amazing, and I appreciate your help.” “You’re welcome. It’s my pleasure.” “Nice job!” “Thank you. I’m grateful for the notice.”
When we are conscious of receiving, hearts connect, light up, and resonate in yummy goodness. It’s okay to receive. It makes for a pleasant exchange when both sides ‘see each other.’ Put the bow on the package and give yourself an opportunity to feel the love, to be recognized for your good works, to be appreciated, and to be heard.
