Enough Already
by Alan
Cohen
 While having dinner with a
well-known author and lecturer, our conversation drifted to money. "I have
enough money," he told me casually. I don't need any more money."
Of course you can say that, I
thought to myself. You get fifteen thousand dollars for a
lecture.
Then I caught my thought process,
and pondered more deeply on his statement. Is he satisfied because he has a lot
of money, or does he have a lot of money because he chooses to be
satisfied?
I know people with more money than
this man, and they still don't have enough. And I know people with very
little money, and they always have enough. So is enoughness something
that happens to us when we reach a certain level, or is it an experience we can
choose and celebrate at any time?
My friends Adrian and Carey live
in a humble cottage in the rainforest. They have a quite modest income, no
telephone, and they walk around naked most of the time. I think they are the
happiest people I know. They wake up with the sun, love each other immensely,
and welcome guests with a full and open heart. They appreciate every moment of
their lives, have no distraction games going, and are not waiting for the big
break around the corner. When I am with them, the predominant feeling I have is,
"It's all right here -- why would anyone want anything more?"
Ram Dass used to say, "There are
three kinds of people in the world: those who say, 'too much!'; those who say,
'not enough!'; and those who say, 'ah, just right!'" Since "too much" of one
thing implies "not enough" of another, there are really only two approaches to
life: lack or contentment.
While it appears that there are
many places that people live on the planet, there exist but two. In Scare
City, the dominant theme is "never enough". Never enough money, time,
safety, sex, love, job opportunities, or loyal friends. Fear is the motivator
behind most actions, and residents of Scare City spend a great deal of
time and energy protecting themselves from possible dangers.
Just on the other side of the
river from Scare City, there is another domain unlike Scare City
in every way. In A Bun Dance, everyone finds such beauty and riches that
their little buns are dancing all the time. Love and appreciation are the
prevalent themes of life, and because they trust the universe to provide them
with their good, whatever they need shows up in the right way and timing, and
miracles occur continuously.
Over the river between Scare
City and A Bun Dance is a bridge that is but one thought wide; the
difference between heaven and hell is just a shift in viewpoint. Have you ever
been immersed in fear, sadness, self-pity, or depression, and then you read a
sentence in a book, heard an encouraging word from the friend, or listened to a
song on the radio, and everything shifted? Suddenly you realized there was an
entirely different way to look at your situation, and you felt free and
clear?
On the other hand, have you ever
felt wonderful, just cruising along, and you read a newspaper headline or had a
cross word with a friend, and suddenly you felt plunged into turmoil? You
crossed the bridge of perspective, and that made all the
difference.
Recently I participated in a
dolphin-swim retreat in Bimini in the Bahamas. An enthusiastic group gathered to
spend a week swimming with the wild dolphins. My schedule allowed me to
participate for just three days, and I showed up on this gorgeous tranquil
tropical island with snorkel in hand, ready to relate to the dolphins in a deep
way.
As it turned out, winds were very
high and boats were unable to go out during my time there. Meanwhile, I had a
fabulous time snorkeling, taking full moonlit walks on the golden beaches at
midnight, relating with other group members, and enjoying getting to know the
local culture. On the day I left the weather cleared, and as my plane was
departing the rest of the group was getting to go out on their first dolphin
swim. As my aircraft lifted off, the thought ran through my mind, "They are all
getting to play with the dolphins, and I am leaving -- poor me!"
Suddenly I felt a creepy empty
feeling begin to roll through my gut -- especially pronounced in contrast to the
wonderful experience I had enjoyed. As I caught the thought and feeling before
they rooted themselves, I heard another voice within me advise, "Don't go there;
don't even start to think in this direction."
The suggestion was right on. Here
I had enjoyed a marvelous vacation, luxuriating in nearly every moment of my
time there; if I had never heard about the dolphin swim, my time there was
perfectly well-spent and quite worth it. Why mangle the memory with an onslaught
of "Poor me?" So I decided to hold the experience only in the context of joy and
appreciation, and remember three great days in Bimini. Besides, I could always
swim with the dolphins another time. Welcome to A Bun
Dance.
Another name for life is
choice. The choice to be free or bound; celebrate or lament; protect or
trust; live or die. The bridge between heaven and hell is always open for
traffic, until we decide to choose only love.
Book by this author:
Relax Into Wealth: How to Get More by Doing Less
by Alan
Cohen.
This is not a book specifically on creating wealth through financial
techniques, career choices, etc. Rather it discusses one's overall
disposition toward wealth from all aspects of life and how attitude can
affect the tangible assets one has. As such, it would make a very good
addition to your financial library.
Info/Order this book
 About The Author
Alan
Cohen is the author of numerous popular inspirational books, including the
award-winning A
Deep Breath of Life. To request a free catalog of Alan's books,
tapes, and seminars, call 1-800-462-3013 or visit Alan's web site at www.alancohen.com.
For info on upcoming events, contact 455A Kukuna Road, Haiku, HI 96708,
(800) 568-3079, email:
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