Life is about trading.
If you work for someone else, you trade 40 hours of your time for 40 hours of pay.
If you get your car worked on, you trade money for a service.
How much do you trade for a cup of coffee? or a new sweater?
How do you feel about all the things you have traded for?
Do you value them? Do you appreciate how hard you’ve worked for your trades? Most trading in our lives is done for a monetary exchange, but what about the things you trade that don’t involve money?
When my son was a toddler, I was in a babysitting co-op and traded little washers for 30 minutes per child. It was a great experience for me to have lots of people to trade babysitting with and still feel there was an equal balance. No need for resentment, if you needed more time for yourself you knew what you needed to do. And I trusted everyone in my washer group.
When I split up with my husband five years ago, he traded me in for a new boat. That didn’t feel so good for me, but maybe because he was the one doing the trading. I prayed for a better relationship with him and that’s what I got. It wasn’t the way I would have done it. God has his ways of answering prayers but, as far as a trade I got what I asked for.
Today, I’m trading what I want in order to support someone I love in going after what he wants. In letting go, I’m trading in my fear for an extra dose of faith
Have you traded in what you really want for yourself?
How often do you put off living your soul’s purpose? How many times do you avoid taking responsibility for the expression of your purpose by choosing activities that don’t support it? How many times do you have the thought that you should be doing something different than what you are doing? How often do you trade in your commitment for short-term gratification? If you are feeling resentful of the very things (and people) you love and that make life worth living, look to see what you’ve been trading…
How much is your Divine Purpose worth?
You have a Divine Purpose and you know it. Maybe you need to dust it off; get it out and check for moth holes, but you have something very special inside of you that needs to be developed more fully and expressed into the world. Are you willing to do what it takes? Maybe you have been, but you know you need to take it to the next level and haven’t. You have to make a decision. That’s all there is to it. What is the value that you place on unveiling, unleashing, and manifesting your Divine Purpose? In coaching terms the appropriate question is…
What are you willing to give up?
Are you willing to trade in your excuses? Think of all the reasons you give for not taking the steps you already know you need to. Are you willing to trade in your limited thinking to live a life of purpose? Or are you content with your limitations? Are you willing to trade in your complaining? Your life of ease? A partner? What price are you willing to pay? If you haven’t already downloaded our Myths Report, you can check out some of the most common ways we trade in our purpose.
To empower yourself to give up everything that stands between you and your purpose, ask yourself
What am I trading in these days?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Written by CK Reyes - Life Coach, Facilitator and Cheerleader of your Wildest Dreams! Contact Leila using the tab above.
Join the conversation and leave your thoughts below:
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
WOW! Great article.
It reminded me of when I was runniing a self esteem program for prostititues with the Chicago Court system.
What they were trading was their lives, kids and health for crack cocaine. I used to talk to them about that. They got it.
I do very lilttle trading anymore. Unless it is fun. It takes a lot of life to learn to say NO. Or, get out of my face and my life.
It’s hard at first and fraught with guilt.
But you get over it.
The trading you are doing with your excellent writing and sharing of your life is benefiting so many of us.
Look forward to your articles.
Here’s the gold in this article:
“Are you willing to do what it takes? Maybe you have been, but you know you need to take it to the next level and haven’t. You have to make a decision. That’s all there is to it.”
That’s right! You have to make a decision, that’s all there is to it.
And once you make a decision, If it’s in your heart, all fears, obstacles will seemingly fall away. Sometimes we have to step out into the unknown and just do it.
I loved how you use Kelly’s Blue Book analogy. It’s so true that we are constantly trading something for something.
I remember a quote from one of the Gettys who said something like “I would rather earn 1% off a 100 people’s efforts than 100% of my own efforts.” Now that’s a man who knew the value of trading properly! Hehehe.
Corinne and Stephen,
Combining your two comments, it is very clear… first you need to know that you *are* trading and what it is you are trading and then you have to make a conscious choice of its value and a decision to make different choices if the trade is no longer serves you.
The Universe wants to give you what you ask for, and being ‘iffy’ about a direction doesn’t help focus the energy. Only a firm decision and then following through with actions when the Universe gives you choices to make…
Remember, it’s only your commitment that’s being tested, not the ability of the Universe to give you what you choose.
Of course, this is a reminder to myself….
I really enjoyed this post. It’s very enlightening to put everything that you do in life in the perspective of a trade. It’s important to ask yourself if you’re getting a fair trade or if you’re being taken advantage of? Great post!
Stephanie, what are some trades you’ve been making? How can you tell if the trades you are making are fair or not?
Excellent article. It looks like you’ve learned that when you take a leap of faith, that Faith itself will catch you.
Blessings,
Irene