You Can’t Steal Abundance

14 Sep You Can’t Steal Abundance

You can’t steal abundance. If it’s yours, you aren’t stealing; if you are stealing, it’s not yours. The story of Cupid stealing honey is even older than this Dutch master copy from the late 16th century. The painting refers to an even older, ancient Greek poem, according to this description.

By Definition, You Can’t Steal Abundance

There are no two ways around it: you can’t steal abundance.

• If it’s yours, you aren’t stealing.
• If you’re stealing, it’s not abundance.

Stealing is Unethical

It recently occurred to me I should mention these things. Someone in my professional life was stealing and encouraging me to steal. It wasn’t the obvious kind of stealing. It might not have been obvious to anyone. And it’s not that I’ve never stolen. But I don’t anymore and that’s got to do with how I teach, write about, promote, and do fundraising.

Honesty with Money is Basic

I only coach and fundraise in ways that are honest:

• I coach with honesty myself, toward greater self-honesty in my clients soul-colleagues.
• I raise money honestly, pulling no punches: we always let potential donors we are meeting with know we intend to ask for money, and we aren’t “just visiting.” We give the perks we promise in a crowd-funding campaign. We know clear language is powerful in driving giving in an email or hard-copy letter. Etcetera.

These things are basic to RAISING CLARITY. But you might be surprised at how often I am asked to do otherwise. I’m surprised!

But this time, the encouragement to steal did not take place in my money work world. It took place in my writing work world. At first, I only related to it as an ethical violation, and not an abundance violation.

Stealing is Unpeaceful

But because RAISING CLARITY influences everything I do, I could not help but think about why I don’t steal anymore. It’s not just because it’s not nice, or not ethical. It’s because it’s personally harmful to me. Stealing is unpeaceful money management.

Stealing is a way to make sure you

• obsess about money for its own sake
• lie and justify your lying
• never feel like you deserve anything.

It bleeds over onto everything, just like RAISING CLARITY bleeds over into everything.

Stealing is Bad For You

There’s a reason that non-stealing, asteya in Sanskrit, is core in Jainism, Hinduism, that the second Buddhist precept is “do not steal,” and “thou shalt not steal” is one of the Ten Commandments. But it might not be the reason you think.

Stealing is a basic abundance violation.

How to Stop Stealing

If you’re stealing, stop. Stealing will kill your abundance. It doesn’t matter how long you get away with it. In fact, I hope you don’t get away with it long, because it becomes a habit that’s hard to stop.

How do I know? I just look at the culture I live in. Capitalism is based on a series of lies about money.

Stop lying; it is a form of stealing. Deal with the fear that comes up that if you tell the truth or stop stealing, you won’t have enough. That’s probably why you’re stealing: lack of trust or faith you’ll be provided for and there is enough.

Guess who is keeping that perpetuated? (You.)

Trust is the Antidote to Stealing

And please know that of course you have a good reason for lack of trust or faith! I trust you. I have faith in you. I’ve coached enough people that I know we have good reason for terror, anger, and shame when it comes to money. No worries! Me too. It just deserves healing.

But you need trust and faith in yourself. You are a fractal, or mirror image, of the reality around you.

How to develop trust and faith? Start anywhere: inside yourself, with your fear issues or outside, with the reality you’ve created and reinforce. Start small. Notice what lies you tell: you can feel it in your body when you speak against your heart or your truth. Start big: change your whole life if you have to. It’s worth it.

Abundance means “overflowing.” You will soon start to feel the flow. It may not feel overflowing at first but keep at it and soon you will be standing in the middle of a big stream. Your whole life will change, in fact, whether you start big or small.