To my delight, I have shipped out all the paperback and hardcover copies of my book that people ordered through the Kickstarter and pre-order process. I’ve struck distribution deals with BookPeople, the largest independent bookstore in Austin, and Fair Bean Coffee, the awesome fair trade coffee shop where I wrote a lot of my book, but now I barely have any books to sell during the two weeks of the South by Southwest Conference for which I’m a featured speaker. My book stash is nearing empty. My phone and laptop are almost always out of battery. I procrastinated on getting my clothes out of the dryer until I had run completely out of underwear. I drove my car until the gas light came on (and I still need to get my oil changed). I’m out of my favorite groceries (though technically, I have plenty of food that I could eat), and until a last minute run to the convenience store last night, I was out of toilet paper (too much information?).

And all of you know how much I like to manifest money (who doesn’t like having money?), but I’ve been pretty stressed out because even my bank account is pretty empty.

This is not a good situation.

This week, I’m hosting several good friends who are in town for the South by Southwest Conference, and they all love to talk about spiritual and metaphysical issues. I told them how I feel like I’m getting all these signs of how I’m running on empty.

“Tonight, I’m going to meditate on all the fullness and abundance I’m going to draw into my life as we inflate your air mattresses. As the mattresses fill, I will feel the abundance flow into my life,” I said.

“Oh, that’s a great idea!” my friend quipped. “You should definitely do that.” And in that moment, I sent up a silent grateful prayer to God that I have friends who think something like that is a good idea and not a crazy one.

But guess what, y’all? When it was time to fill up the two air mattresses, we couldn’t get the pumps to work. There were batteries in the pumps, even new ones that my cousin Kelle bought for them, but they just didn’t work. So the mattresses stayed empty, and I didn’t do my abundance exercise.

During times like these, times when you’re feeling drained, empty, or teetering on the edge of leaping into scarcity thinking, it’s important to do two things:

1) Fill your life as much as you can in the places that are empty. By doing your part to fill your life, you invite others and the Universe to help you out and bring you even more abundance. I’m going to get my oil changed today, deposit some checks I’ve been holding on to, go get my favorite groceries, and I ordered more of my books from the printer that will be arriving soon. I’m taking the time to be quiet with myself each morning, and keeping my apartment as orderly as possible so I feel peaceful and calm.

2) Express gratitude for the abundance you DO have in your life. When you take the time to recognize all the things you have in your life that you are grateful for, you bring even more joy and happiness into your life. Your attention is moved away from what you don’t have to all the wonderful things you do have. I am so grateful to have smart, fun, beautiful, loving friends who are here in town. I’m almost more excited about our creative Black women retreat in my apartment than I am about the conference we’re all here for! I am grateful of how supportive my parents are of my writing career and entrepreneurial ambitions. They never make me feel bad about the ups and downs I experience or pressure me to pursue something more sure and stable. I am grateful that I live in walking distance to a natural food store with fantastic prices. I am grateful and excited about my panel and book signing on Saturday!

a page out of my daily gratitude journal

Hopefully, you aren’t running on empty in as many areas of your life as I have been. But I’m sure there’s at least an area or two that could use some attention. Where in your life are you running on empty?

Love,
Kaneisha

P.S. Check out the book display of my book at Fair Bean Coffee!