HUMMING IN MY UNIVERSE By Jim Paredes (The Philippine Star) | Updated August 30, 2015 – 12:00am

Neale Donald Walsch wrote that people come from only one of two places at any given time. We either come from love or fear. I’ve written about this before.

Today I want to write about the connection between creativity and abundance with love, and creative blockage and scarcity with fear.

They are interconnected. I have experienced it in my life.

The feeling of being creative is expansive. There is an inner joy, a felt ability to become many times bigger and greater than what you are. You feel that you have the power to create beautiful things. You can do magic and pull things out of thin air. And yes, in the process, you can even recreate yourself into almost anything you desire.

You also feel a generosity and an abundance that you wish to share with everyone. As a teacher and an artist, it gives me great pleasure to teach what I know. What drives me is the feeling of being expanded, or to put it simply, the feeling of love for what I do. It sparks a passion inside that drives me to do my best and enjoy what I do. And in the process, my openness to the world makes me learn as much as I teach.

The feeling of abundance is quite marvelous. You feel that what you have does not leave anyone wanting or deprived. And there is more, much more where it came from for everyone to acquire for themselves.

But the truth is, it is not even acquired. It is something one awakens to. It has always been there and it is always accessible.

Now let’s take a look at fear, and its connection to scarcity and negativity.

Fear is a feeling of contraction. It is a sensation of getting smaller, a kind of shrinking feeling where you feel a loss of power. You feel energy slipping out of your hands. You feel your life getting smaller and you feel somewhat threatened.

Even when something good happens to you, you feel that it is mere luck and probably won’t happen again. You also believe that when someone gains, someone always has to lose. There is not enough for everyone. That’s the way of the world.

And so you are always cautious, and do not trust too much. You are wary of people’s intentions and cannot see goodness when it happens. You always look for the “hidden agenda,” especially when people act with generosity and kindness.

In such a state, it is not hard to imagine why abundance may seem distant and unreal. It is something that happens elsewhere and to others but not to you.

What I am describing here are two separate realities, contrasting neighborhoods.

The people who live on the fearful side of town are more likely to be less open to people and opportunities. They are also sensitive and find it really difficult to accept criticism of any sort. They are also more suspicious of other people’s motives.

They are guarded in their conversation and hide things. They are rigid, conventional and adverse to risk. Often they project a façade and will rarely allow anyone into their private gates.

They also have a shallow perception of things, and they view themselves and the world with great distortion.

On the other hand, those who feel abundance are more open to the world. They take kindlier to criticism, often seeing them as feedback more than personal attacks. Thus, they can change or alter their behavior much easier than those who are fearful. They welcome others into their lives and are eager to allow them to be part of it. They rely not just on themselves but also other people and are comfortable with this interdependence.

They are less rigid, can adjust easier to situations, and take more risks. They are easy to get along with. Their openness makes you feel you are talking to real people. They come as they are. They are capable of a deeper and more accurate perception of the world and of themselves.

I am sure we can relate to both sides, and have actually lived in both neighborhoods sometime in our lives.

But what makes some fearful, and others more open and happier? There are many factors for sure. But I know one sure way you can always feel abundance in life.

When I speak of abundance, I am not referring to material wealth alone but more importantly, the feeling that one is complete and that there is enough to fulfill his or her needs. In other words, abundance is not a fixed amount or value. A billionaire will think nothing of winning P1 million in a lottery. But a poor man will feel very rich if he suddenly gets even one fourth of the amount.

The formula for feeling abundance is to have gratitude. When you are in this mode, there is nothing that is not a blessing. Everything can turn to gold. There is an overflowing feeling of having more than enough.

Contrast this with someone who may have every material thing in the world but still constantly craves for more. Life for them is about constantly clinging to things because you may lose “the little that you have.”

Who is living in abundance, and who is living in scarcity then?

Neale Donald Walsch in his lecture in Manila in 1998 asked the audience how one could feel abundance with just $20 in his pocket. His advice was simple: “Give it away!”