Do you want to be happier, right here, right now?
Here’s a little-known way to do it: drop the idea of rewards.
You know the rewards I’m talking about – all that amazing stuff on your vision board. The joy and love and abundance that are waiting for you when you finally manifest your deepest desires. That moment when you change out of your work clothes and get ready to enjoy your evening.
Focusing on future rewards actually blocks you from being happy in the present moment.
The trouble is, the whole idea of “do the work, then get my stuff” artificially divides up your consciousness. You’re so busy trying to finish what you’re doing so you can get to the good stuff, that when it’s finally time to enjoy yourself, you’re exhausted, distracted, or already mentally moving on to the next thing.
You’re not alone. It’s something that has been ingrained in us throughout our lifetimes. It’s the norm in our culture. You do your schoolwork so you can get good grades, which bring parental approval. You diet and dress in the latest styles so you can win the love of a partner. You work hard all week so you can get that paycheck in time to rock the weekend doing what you really wanted to do.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Desires, passions, and preferences are vital. They are what pull you forward into more growth, more fun, and more of who you truly are.
It’s just that attaching your well-being to these desires – and to the notion of realizing them “someday” – is holding you back from happiness in this moment.
It’s not like some arbitrary future moment is sure to be “better” than what we’re experiencing right now.
Actually, in this vast and amazing Universe, and even in the sweet little corner that is our planet Earth, everything just IS.
Trees aren’t sitting around waiting for their blossoms to open. They’re just… being a tree.
We’re the ones who judge everything and split it up into good and bad, wanted and unwanted.
You might be practicing spiritual techniques, like visualizing, making gratitude lists, and taking inspired action, but you’re still focused on the external rewards. You’re putting in the time just so you can “win” at the Law of Attraction. You keep asking “where’s my stuff?” rather than truly being present and shifting your vibration.
The concept of delayed gratification is keeping you stuck in a perpetual cycle of wanting, and separating you from the joy that resides in the moment. It’s when you can appreciate what’s in front of you, really loving what is, that you tap into your deep happiness and fulfillment.
When you choose to release the false dichotomies – work vs. play, please a partner in order to earn their love, sacrifice for eventual reward, constant visualization in order to rake in the dough – you’ll begin to open up your energy vibration.
You’ll enter a state of being where, paradoxically, your dreams will manifest more quickly. That’s because when you live in the now, appreciating each moment, you’ve released the expectations and blocks that lie in the way of reaching your big goals.
When you release the need for rewards, you can enjoy your desires without that nagging feeling that something is missing or wrong.
Don’t you feel happier already?
