How to Practice the Art of Receiving
Have you ever tried to compliment someone, and they just play it down? I have done this a lot in my past. I’d say, “Oh, it’s not a big deal,” or play it down in some way verses just saying, “Thank you.” God forbid I would admit how good I felt about it!
In this month of LOVE, I am inviting you to take a look at how good you are at receiving. Receiving LOVE is just as important as giving it. The more you are able to receive, the more you are able to love yourself; the more you love yourself, the more love you have to give to others. It is a cycle that continually spreads genuine love, not the kind of love that comes out of obligation and guilt.
How many times have you received a compliment and said how good that compliment made you feel? Just the other night, someone told me how thin I looked (when I felt the opposite). I looked at her and instead of saying “thank you,” I said, “You just made my day!” I did forget to thank her and let her know how good it felt to hear her comment.
It is an unconscious act not to fully receive and allow ourselves to feel the good someone is reflecting back to us. I know when I compliment someone and they not only fully acknowledge it, but also let me know how it makes them feel, it puts an extra skip in my step. Their good feeling spreads to me feeling good for having delivered the message in the first place. It feels good to make others feel good. That is why so many people are better at giving than receiving.
Fully receiving is good for you because it relaxes you. We must exert to give and relax to receive. The more relaxed we are, the easier it is to receive and visa versa. Let receiving be one of your relaxation practices.
Receive until you overflow, then you exude because you are overflowing. In order to give, you have to be selfish. You need to “fill” yourself so you overflow, then everyone receives.
This month, start spreading love by creating a practice of observing all the ways others do for you, intentionally thank them and let them know their impact. For example, you may want to thank the grocery clerk in how he/she bags your groceries, how the waiter brings your food, or how your co-worker asks about your weekend. Be sure to also thank those that like your posts online.
Harness the Power of Receiving
- Be aware of how much you receive in your life, and bring your heart into acknowledging it this month by staying present in the moment when someone acknowledges you.
- Record each day all that you received in that day.
- Accept compliments. When someone compliments you, don’t brush it off or make an excuse about the compliment. Receive it all the way into your heart. Say thank you, and let them know how the compliment made you feel. Start communicating your truth and appreciation from your heart.
At the end of each week, ask yourself these 3 questions to integrate and harness the Art of Receiving:
- How did it feel to really acknowledge those that helped you this week?
- What was your experience of receiving all the way into your heart?
- How did the Art of Receiving benefit you and the other person?
Begin to own what a great receiver you are and set an example for others that receiving is an act of self-love. This breeds more compassion, joy and love to those around you.
“Appreciation is an excellent thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us, as well.”
-Voltaire