Go After Happy. (Because you are so Loved.)
“You are so loved….”
That was the spontaneous response from my dear friend and talented colleague Melanie McGhee last summer, when I told her about an amazing (and funny) experience I’d had.
But she startled me a little; that seemed like a strange response to the story I’d just told her, a story – of all things – about buying a car. :)
This might seem a little silly, but there IS a lesson here.
Let me explain.
First, I have this thing about cars. I don’t buy them very often, so I tend to drive cars ’til the tires fall off. We only recently said goodbye to my sweet Ruby, the 1991 Toyota Celica GTS that I bought brand spanking new in – yep –1991.
But I do love driving, and I enjoy cars. So, when the once-in-a-decade moment rolls around that I have to buy a car, I hate to settle for anything less than what I really want.
I like what I like, after all. :)
Somehow, though, I broke my own rule a couple of years ago and settled for a car that I didn’t love. It was okay. It was reasonable. Affordable. Functional. Practical. Sensible. It would do. And it met my absolute minimum requirements.
Which meant it had a manual transmission.
But that’s about it, quite honestly. Other than that, I really didn’t care for it too much. Still, I tried to make peace with the fact that I was stuck with it; that being the sensible, practical, reasonable thing to do and all.
And then something happened that changed my perspective completely.
Through a series of circumstances, I found myself in this strange year of transitions, where all the rules seemed to be changing, where everything I thought I knew, I didn’t, where everything I thought I understood, I didn’t.
I found myself in the midst of a year where everything was the same, and yet nothing was the same; where everything seemed both impossible, and entirely possible, at once.
And in the middle of that, an entirely new idea was presented to me: the possibility that we are meant to be happy. That just as we want good things for our children, the Universe wants good things for us – REALLY good things, in all areas of our lives. Relationships. Career. Faith. Charitable works. Environment. Health. Heart. Spirit.
And yes – even (!) in our material possessions.
Let me tell you that last part was a shocker. I’m still struggling with it, because that went against everything I (really) believed. We’re supposed to be happy with what we have, right? To want more is to be greedy.
Right?
Well, sorta…. Just as I want my children to be grateful for what they have.
That doesn’t mean, though, that I want them to play small, to settle for less than what they really want in life. That doesn’t mean I want them to live in a shack when they could live in a nice warm home with beautiful things that make them happy.
It means I want them to be genuinely good people, with meaningful, Spirit-filled lives.
AND I want them to be happy, to live well and to have nice things – because I love them.
Make sense? Well – here’s a radical idea.
The Love that binds the universe together wants No Less for us.
But yes, there is a catch. And here it is.
It is our willingness to SEEK and ACCEPT good things that determines what comes to us.
We get what we expect, for good or ill, so it helps when we expect good.
And Courageous Women, that’s hard for some of you to do – because you tend to think you don’t deserve the good stuff. :)
Now – I’m not talking about maxing out your credit cards because you “deserve” some expensive new whatchamacallit. Don’t use this as an excuse to be foolish.
But neither am I talking about being “happy” with poverty, or being happy with unhealthy relationships. Heck, I’m not even talking about being happy with this pair of shoes when you really want THAT pair.
I AM saying that amazing things happen when you open yourself up to the possibility that you too have a right to be happy. And I AM talking about going after what you really want, and trusting that the Universe wants that for you TOO.
Even down to the car you drive. :)
So – back to my story.
As I began to explore this radical new idea, that it was okay for me to want something better, a series of things happened.
First, I began to consider the possibility that I had a right NOT to settle for less than I wanted. To even consider selling or trading a car I’d only had for a little while seemed crazy; to me, that went against all the rules. On the other hand, if I, too, was meant to be happy – maybe some rules needed to be broken.
So I started looking for solutions, turning things over in my mind, allowing myself to wander through this possibility and that, this option and that. Before long, an idea began to form about how I could make this happen.
Then, I took action. When I bought my ‘settled-for’ car, I’d tried to get what I wanted then. But I was told that there were only about 40 cars in the country that met my criteria (a certain make, model, color – with a stick), and that most of them were out west and pretty hard to come by.
This time around was no different – but my attitude was.
Instead of thinking, “Oh well…” (guess I won’t get one of those!) I turned to “Okay…” (so what do I have to do?). I contacted dealers in three states, asking them to help me find what I wanted. Heck, I’d drive to Florida if needed to get what I wanted.
And I put my settled-for car up for sale. :)
Then, I leaned into faith, expected good, and waited.
Long story short – none of the dealers I spoke with could find what I wanted.
And then…
MY car – exactly what I wanted – turned up as a lease trade-in at a local dealership. It was perfect. Better than perfect. And yes – I (quickly) drove it home.
How’s THAT? :))
The lesson here is two-fold.
First, to build the life you want, you must open your heart to the possibility that the Universe wants (really) good things for you. Yes, EVEN for you.
And second, to build the life you want, you must be willing to act.
Faith AND action.
Your life serves no purpose by playing small. I believe that the Universe is knit together with a force of love that wants good things for you and good things for me. Don’t turn down those gifts.
If this resonates with you, tell me. Share your story here. Share this post on Facebook or with your friends.
But more than anything else, open yourself to the Possibilities that are waiting for you just around the bend. Give yourself permission to go after what you (really) want – even if it means you might break a rule or two.
Go After Happy.
Because you, too, are Sooooo Loved. :)
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