An Open Secret
I have a lovely spiritual teacher named Esther Hicks who often asks audiences, “What would you pay for _______?” (You fill in the blank.)
The question intrigues me because of where it leads. Put it to yourself and see what I mean:
What would you pay for . . . a brilliant blue sky… a cleansing rain… the radiance of the reemerging sun?
What would you pay for . . . the ability to freely choose what you see on TV… the liberty to visit any website you like… the freedom to eat and dress as you wish?
What would you pay for . . . a public collection of books, movies and music from which you may borrow at no cost… permission to live in the United States… the right to travel the entire country at will?
We all feel these benefits are extraordinarily valuable, yet we balk a bit when asked to put a price tag on them. It almost seems that for us to appreciate the worth of something, we must desire it, but not possess it.
Everything good in your life was a desire you once had that is now fulfilled. “Ask and ye shall receive,” goes the biblical verse, and you ask and ask and ask and receive and receive and receive. Unfortunately, in the interval between requesting and gaining something, you can lose sight of the value of what you were asking for. By the time it comes to you, you are pining for something else and thus in no mood to celebrate the fulfillment of your earlier desire!
One of the vital keys to happiness is to want what you have and to continue celebrating your possession of it—to relish it as much as on the day your desire was finally met.
As an example, think back to the time before you had your present job. Remember how dearly you wanted it? Now that you have it, are you still celebrating its significance to your life?
Now remember a time when you were not so skilled at your work as you are today. You now possess the competence you once so much desired. Do you take a moment now and again to enjoy your mastery?
And now recall how as a teenager you longed for the freedom and privileges of an adult. You couldn’t wait to captain your own ship! Now that you have the helm, are you relishing the feel of the sun on your back and the wind of freedom in your face, or are you too busy looking back, wishing for the carefree days of youth?
The Law of Attraction says that you get what you focus on. The more you celebrate the people, things and circumstances that you once hoped for and now enjoy in your life, the more such similar blessings you will attract—along with the good feelings that accompany receiving what you desire.
So here’s the secret to happiness: want what you have, and you will get what you want. And that, as the credit card commercial puts it, is priceless.
