Unless you’re Elon Musk, it’s safe to assume that there will always be someone who has more than you. lol I personally believe that the key to living an abundant life is being grateful for everything that you already have. Because when you live life with a lacking mindset, chasing dollar signs & living for the weekend, you become hyper-focused on everything that you do not have & become envious of all the people around you. I’ve found that when you slow down & actually take inventory of everything that you’ve been blessed with, you create a space welcoming more abundance & subsequently more happiness into your life.
Every night before I go to bed, I make a list of everything that I have that I’m thankful for: my family, my friends, my pug, my health, having a fridge full of food, having a home to sleep in at night, having a stable, full-time job, having money in the bank, etc. My gratitude list can go on & on. I’m so truly grateful for my life & everything I’ve been blessed with.
In my early twenties, I was obsessed with wanting a high paying job, a tall, handsome boyfriend, being able to live on my own, partying, drinking, traveling, & showing off every minute of my fabulous life on YouTube & Instagram. What you didn’t see behind my heavily curated content was the massive amount of debt I was incurring to pretend that what I posted was my actual everyday life. In fact, there was a time where I went for long walks during my lunch hour instead of eating because I couldn’t afford to buy lunch every day.
After I graduated college, I moved back home & lived with my parents until I was 26 to save money. Reaching the latter half of my twenties caused a huge shift for me. I finally started taking my career into my own hands & proactively saving more money for the future. I’ve always been the most responsible child with money in my family, so when my siblings & I finally took the leap of faith to move out, I was the only one who had money in a savings account. I was hesitantly forced to put down the security deposit for our 3 bedroom townhouse, depleting nearly all of my savings that I hoped to use for a future home or my future wedding,
In the end, I learned that investing in your own future will always be a risk, but in general, if you’re making money moves that will benefit the greater good of everyone involved, there’s no reason to be worried or hesitant. Because at the end of the day, when you’re doing good for others, whatever money or contributions you’ve put in, the universe will ensure that you’re eventually repaid threefold. And I was! When I eventually left the job that I moved into the townhouse to be closer to, I was given 12 weeks severance pay, upon my departure, nearly 4x my security deposit!
With a mindset of gratitude & abundance, you accept that everything happens in your life for a reason. There are several lessons to learn throughout your lifetime. You learn when you should have said no, walked away, or ignored very obvious warning signs. You learn to be more self-aware, less co-dependent, & more self-sufficient.
If you want to buy a beautiful home, a luxury car, or a designer purse, don’t throw shade at someone who has all of those things already. Instead, I encourage you to work hard, save your money, & stop using credit cards to make ends meet. Before you know it, you’ll be surrounded by the wealth that you manifested & worked hard for, with your own set of haters, envious of everything you’ve built for yourself. But if I can give you one more piece of constructive advice, instead of feeding into a vicious cycle of greed & envy, always respond to your haters in a way that will inspire & show them how to create their own abundance.
Whenever I’ve been attacked by trolls on YouTube, I always thank them for their honesty & feedback. It is never my intention to annoy or distract another person by my mannerisms or voice, & while I won’t ever apologize for being who I am, I use their feedback to learn & improve. You’d be surprised that 100% of my trolls usually end up deleting their original comment & apologizing to me. Not thinking that I would ever read it or respond, & confessing that they’ve just been having a bad day. Again, do your best to always show compassion & kindness to others, even your trolls. You’ll be surprised at your new influence & power that allows you to heal the hearts & minds of others.
When I first started my daily gratitude list, it was hard for me to even list five things, but now, my lists each day are easily twenty plus. For the most part, you’ll always be given what you need to survive day to day life. I truly believe that money doesn’t buy happiness, especially if you have no one to share your wealth with. But if you’re still grateful in the moments when everyone thinks that you have nothing, it creates space for new abundance, blessings, opportunities, & wealth to come into your life when you least expect it.
XO Denise