A young man stood at the entrance of a dark and gloomy cave which was believed to harbor treasures that would provide abundance to anyone who dared to enter. It had been said for thousands of year that this treasure existed, yet there was no scientific proof that – even if there were a treasure in the cave – this treasure could actually do what was believed it could do – provide abundance. The only requirement to enter the cave was to give up your old way of thinking and old ways of doing things and plunge into the darkness and experience the treasure.
The young man thought about it for a while. He wondered, “Could I give up my old ways?” He was fearful, yet he decided that he wanted to change his life and took the step to enter the emptiness and darkness of the cave. He walked in … and found the treasure that he was seeking.
The cave is a metaphor for the darkness … the emptiness one must face in order to change one’s life. The giving up of old ways of thinking and old ways of doing things represents letting go, creating a vacuum for new experiences in your life. What stops people from entering the cave and realizing the treasure that awaits them in the form of a new life is their unwillingness to let go of their old ways.
You have to get rid of something, before something better can come along. If you want to have more abundance, then you need to discard of all your clutter and things that are stopping you from achieving your abundance. If you want more satisfying relationships, then you need to discontinue unsatisfying relationships. If you want more opportunities in business and life, then you need to rid yourself of poor work ethics, unsupportive people and negative situations.
People don’t want to abandon their current beliefs, thoughts, and actions, because those things actually make them feel safe – even though they also inwardly make them feel miserable and incomplete. But remember – before you can have something new, you have to rid yourself of the old.
The emptiness – that vacuum – will fill up. But with what? This is the crucial point where you must think and act correctly, because this is where the change happens. For example, if you believe that just by dumping your old abusive boyfriend that you will find a new wonderful, non-abusive boyfriend, you are mistaken. Why? Because you haven’t changed the “true void” that the vacuum will fill, which is you and the way you think. You will move from one bad relationship to the next, because the only vacuum you have created is for another bad relationship.
However, should you begin to work on yourself and start to change from one who always needs a relationship; one who only feels complete only when they have someone in their life; one who feels it is their job to fix, take care, or change another person to one who is happy with being alone; one who is content to work on improving themselves mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically, and financially, and one who no longer has the desire to rescue or change anyone – then the old boyfriend will disappear and a new and improved version will have the opportunity to enter!
It’s about creating a void, then choosing to fill it correctly. The reason why you don’t realize abundance in your life is because you are still attached to your old ways and old way of thinking.
The great teacher and author Joseph Campbell once said, “The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” Do you have the courage to walk into the cave of emptiness and let go of your “old”? Do you have the courage to be empty? Should you walk into that cave, you won’t really find emptiness; instead, you will find the treasure that you seek.
Bob Garner is recognized as a funny motivational speaker who actually has something to say. As a successful entrepreneur for nearly 30 years, Bob combines solid business principles with psychological and spiritual insights and speaks to the audiences of Fortune 1000 corporations at meetings and events, worldwide. When companies look for a fun motivational speaker who can also deliver a message, they turn to Bob Garner. To listen to Bob deliver this article via his free spiritual podcasts go to http://www.bobgarneraudio.com/.
©2011Bob Garner. All Rights Reserved. You may use this article, but you must include my byline and my resource box.
