I have to tell you a guilty secret. I love Amazon Prime.
I was realizing this week that I love Amazon Prime so much because it allows a level of perfection that we don’t always have in every area of our lives. It allows me to not only have perfection, but also to not settle for less than perfection. And as much as possible, I am determined to not settle.
I find that the less I settle, the happier I am.
I find that the more I settle, the less happy I am.
You do the math. Not settling = more happy.
I had another beautiful experience with Amazon Prime this week and that’s what got me thinking about having perfection in my life and not settling.
As you read this, you might think that what I’m talking about is trivial, but I assure you it isn’t. The more that we expect and demand things to be the best they can be, the more the Universe conspires to bring the best into our lives (and it doesn’t matter if you’re talking about the work you do in the world or a toaster).
I’ll tell you my experience this week in a moment, but first I want to tell you why I love Amazon Prime:
1. They have virtually everything and I do mean everything! I live in Sedona (which I adore, as you all know), but we are a small population (only 12,000) and the only shopping we have (except for $50 t-shirts) is a Walgreens and Bealls (a discount clothing store). We have to go to Flagstaff or Phoenix to do any real shopping.
Before Amazon, I used to settle for things that weren’t exactly what I wanted because it was all that was available, and I didn’t want to have to drive to Flagstaff or Phoenix. And they were seemingly insignificant things, so I would let it slide and just settle for not having exactly what I wanted.
But now, I can find virtually everything I want! How many things in life can you say that about? Where you can — in almost every situation — find your heart’s desire?
2. In this world filled with uncertainty, they are completely reliable. With Prime, I receive everything in 1-2 days. And when they say 1-2 days, they mean 1-2 days. They have never disappointed me. How many things (or people) can you say that about?
3. It’s so easy. I find what I want so quickly, I buy everything with One Click and then here’s the best part. If I don’t love what I got and want to return something, I click the box on the web site, I tape up the shipping box and go to UPS (a 4 minute drive and the same shopping center where I get manicures) and just drop it off (no standing in line). The minute UPS clicks on the box, the credit goes back on my credit card. So much easier than driving to Flagstaff or Phoenix. Ease — how many things do we have in our lives that are really easy?
4. They are a source of unlimited knowledge. With Prime, I can get an incredible number of movies and TV shows. “Transparent” is an original Amazon Prime show and it’s fantastic. Recently I watched a documentary about World War II and it was extraordinary. I buy all my books on Kindle now and it has set me free! I usually read 4 books at a time (one on spirituality or self development, a biography, a novel and something funny). When I would travel (like on my trip to Egypt last month), it would be such a drag to lug 4 books around with me. Now all of them are on my iPad mini (along with magazines and podcasts). All this knowledge at my fingertips – what a world we live in!
5. They want me to be happy and they don’t want me to settle. The source of all this bliss and contemplation of perfection and not settling is (amazingly) about a plastic cord cover. Again, you might think this is trivial, but it isn’t – read on.
In my beautiful home office (where I do all my writing), I have a beautiful, sleek Apple computer that has a big cord coming out of it. My desk faces the door of the office and is placed in perfect feng shui spacing. This leaves 4 feet of cord going to the wall. I changed the carpet in my office a few months ago to a beautiful thick, plush off white (not practical, but beautiful). The existing plastic cord cover is brown and ugly and very visible on the off white carpet. Every day I would look at that cord cover and it wouldn’t make me feel good.
Finally, last week I realized that the brown cord cover was detracting from my happiness, so I found a beige one on Amazon. I ordered it and it was here in 2 days (free shipping with Prime). But it was a dark beige and I didn’t love it. I went back on Amazon and found one in ivory. I clicked the button for the refund, printed out the shipping label and took the return to UPS the next day (as I was going for a manicure). The day after that the refund appeared on my credit card. The day after that, the ivory cord cover arrived and it matches my carpet perfectly. Every time I look at it, it makes me feel good.
And that’s what got me thinking about these little things about our lives that make all the difference. Having things that are easy and playful, that make us feel good, is so important.
Not settling for things that don’t make us feel wonderful, even down to the smallest details. Like a plastic cord cover. Because the small details make up the largest parts of our lives.
When you make the decision that you only want things in your life that make you feel good, your life will start to change. And I don’t just mean “things” like plastic cord covers, I mean everything — your work, your relationship, your body, your friends. Everything in your life either adds to your energy or takes away from it.
On the surface, these might seem like small things, but they’re not. I was in the habit of “settling” for something because Sedona has no shopping and I didn’t want to wait until the next time I went to Phoenix. Now I have exactly what I want and I have it delivered to my door by a friendly young man who gives my dog a biscuit every time he comes.
And that’s how our lives should be. Too often we’re “settling”. We’re putting up with mediocrity. And at the base of that is the belief that we don’t deserve better than that. And when we stay in that energy, the Universe keeps on delivering more mediocrity.
Changing one little thing can have a huge impact. It leads to changing more little things. And when you move into the energy of change, that’s when change starts happening on all the levels.
I invite you to take stock of your life. Where are you settling? Are you putting up with a mediocre life because it feels like that’s all you can have? I promise you, that’s not the way it works. When you start demanding and expecting things to be wonderful, things start to shift. Little shifts become big shifts.
The big shifts in my life (from unhappy to happy, from hating my work to doing the work of my dreams, from 40 pounds overweight to ideal weight, from $50,000 in debt to financial stability) came when I first started coming to Sedona in 1999. I made the decision that I wasn’t going to settle anymore for the life I had. I’m so glad I made that decision.
Your life can be different. Don’t settle.
If you’re ready to make a shift, if you’re ready to not settle, come to Sedona and do a retreat. It’s the fastest way I know of for you to make the big shifts start happening. Click here and one of our Angel Guides will call you. Or if you’d prefer, call us toll free at 1-877-204-3664 (US and Canada). For our friends outside the US and Canada call 01 928-204-5988 or click here and one of our Angel Guides will call you. They will custom design your retreat to bring your life (or your relationship) into the perfection you deserve.
Wishing you a week filled with perfection,
Debra
Debra Stangl / Founder
Sedona Soul Adventures – Transforming Lives One Soul At A Time
(877) 204-3664
https://sedonasouladventures.com
Shelby says her Sedona Soul Adventure was “perfect”
“I could not have had a more perfect experience, I can take everything I have learned from this amazing experience, and apply it to daily life and make this a better life for myself and those around me. I don’t even know how much my entire trip cost, it did not and does not matter, what I learned and gained is so precious, how do you weigh the value of freeing a soul? You are all so inspirational, and I thank you for such a transforming experience.”
Shelby K., Foster City, California
One more room available for our Machu Picchu trip, June 17-30, 2016
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