When is enough, enough? (Just say "when")

I sat at a restaurant on a recent date wondering what to order. It had been a long, tiring day full of bad jokes from a guy with bad breath and narcissistic tendencies. As he sat across from me he watched as his drink was refilled. The waitress said, "say when." And upon the liquid reaching the top, he did. He actually said it. And maybe it's not just that he said it, but how he said it. With the enthusiasm of a child, he excitedly punctuated the word..."WHEN!"

Then he sat up proudly as he took a sip his drink.

I looked into the face of what seemed a seven year old...then it slowly morphed back into the familiar face of a 46 year old man.

At that moment I knew. I'd had enough!

As I look around, it seems I am not the only one who has had enough.

We have a new president, elected by those who felt they'd had enough of the Republican party.

We've watched as CEOs took more than enough for their bonuses and we don't have enough to pay our mortgages.

We have 12 step programs for people who have had more than enough food, alcohol, gambling, etc.

We've all had enough of Paris and Brittany.

When someone says "enough is enough" it means it is time to stop.
And "when" means "now"!

There comes a point in everyone's life when they reach "enough."

Does it mean that at that point we stop doing something?

What if we can't stop someone from hitting us? What if we can't stop someone from ignoring us? What if we can't stop the stock market from plunging? What if we can't stop a country from going to war?

Since no one can control the actions of another, perhaps "enough is enough" becomes the door to walk through to new opportunity. The start of pushing ourselves in a new direction.

Webster defines enough as "occurring in such quantity, quality, or scope as to fully meet demands, needs, or expectations. Sufficient."

When are our circumstances sufficient?

When is enough, enough?

Maybe it's when we are ready... to move in a better direction.

To walk away from a hurtful person. To seek comfort when abandoned. To reinvest our savings. To elect leadership that will represent our desires. To find a date that will simply say...

That's enough. Thank you.

Is it really the Secret?

When you suddenly find yourself alone or unemployed, where do you start to pick up the pieces? Do you start with a new resume, a support group or a stiff drink?

Some people can't think to write their resume or find people to support them, let alone order a drink. Others bypass the resume, group and drink and quickly make solid decisions and move on into a world of abundance.
Why is it that some people are in a hopeless holding pattern of what to do next and others make decisions and have opportunities that lead to abundance all around them? Is it true that it is not random and coincidental, but a result of our own mind...our own thoughts?

People sometimes miss opportunities because they've grown accustomed to the status quo. Whether they come from poverty or wealth and education, they expect nothing more than what they already have. When an opportunity arises, rather than grabbing on to it in faith, and believing for the best, they slinker away and think "that could never happen to me. I should be thankful for what I've been given." We often set our standards so low:
"I'm not really healthy, but my body doesn't hurt that much."
"I'm not really happy in my marriage, but we get along ok and I guess this is the best I can expect."

Perhaps what you receive is directly connected to your expectations. Our expectations set the boundaries for our lives. And our expectations come from what we think about.

According to Bob Proctor, the Secret to our success (no, not the movie with Michael J. Fox) is the law of attraction. "Everything that's coming into your life you are attracting into your life. And it is attracted to you by virtue of the images you are holding in your mind. As you think of yourself living in abundance, you are powerfully and consciously determining your life through the law of attraction." If you think abundance, abundance will come to you.

Michael Beckwith writes that what you are thinking now is creating your future life. You create your future with your thoughts. Because you are always thinking you are always creating. And what you think about most is what will appear in your life. If you think abundance, you will create abundance.

Eckhart Tolle in A New Earth reveals that "Life will give you whatever experience is most helpful for the evolution of your consciousness. How do you know this is the experience you need? Because this is the experience you are having at this moment." You have abundance because it is the most helpful step at this moment in the evolution of your understanding.

In The Art of Happiness, the Dalai Lama emphasizes the importance of determination, effort and time when searching for happiness. He believes in "the tremendous, perhaps even unlimited, power of the mind - but a trained mind that has been systematically trained, focused, and concentrated, a mind tempered by years of experience and sound reasoning." When you are determined to exert effort over a period of time you will be blessed with abundance.

The Bible states in Isaiah 54:2, "Enlarge the place of your tent, let the curtains of your habitation be stretched out. Spare not. Lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes, for soon you will be bursting at the seams." God is saying get ready...I have so much more to give you. Expect more. Don't become complacent with what you have. Jesus said, "According to your faith will it be it done to you." Matt 9:29

Maybe I've been waiting on God to make a move, and God is waiting on me to step out in faith.

When my friend in LA decided to date, he imagined all the amazing people out there. He thought about how fun it would be to get to know them. He visualized the dates he would go on. And when he lost his job he was excited to have the opportunity to explore all the adventures he'd been thinking about for months. He not only "saw" these opportunities, he expected them.

When you suddenly find yourself alone or unemployed, think about what you want. Then step out in faith.

It's not a crapshoot.

It's all a crap shoot

I asked my friend about his love life. Single. Living in LA. He said he's living The Secret. He is putting out there what he wants and he is receiving it. Dates galore.
He lost his job last week. Pink slip on Monday. By Friday, the offers were flying at him. He's enjoying massages, drinks with friends, and in two weeks he's headed to Canada. For an interview. And a date.
How does this happen?
How do you know what to look for when you want to find your soulmate or your dream job? How do you know where to start searching?
When you suddenly find yourself alone or unemployed, where do you start to pick up the pieces? Do you start with a new resume, a support group or a stiff drink?
Does it all really come down to The Secret?