DonGÇÖt Skimp

It was 4:42am in the Oakland Hills of California. He awoke to a loud noise directly above his head. What the heck was going on? Then it registered. There was an earthquake happening. It felt a bit scary. The fault line was nearby and he really felt the jolt of that 4.2. He jumped out of bed to see what the damage was to the second floor of his condo.

There were beans everywhere. The big milk jug that had been filled with them had toppled off the top of the kitchen cabinets about eight feet up. What had made the jug fall was a clock, about two feet in diameter, which had fallen off the wall. He said that when he had originally hung the clock on the wall he had known that the molly bolt he used was too small. The molly bolt was the only one he could find in the house so he used it. He didn’t want to trek back down the hill, to the hardware store, and get the appropriate hardware.

I’ve done similar things. I push to get a task done, so I make do with what I have rather than doing it the way I know is best. I skimp. I’ve always regretted skimping. It may seem easier, cheaper and faster in the moment to skimp, but the long-term results are less than satisfactory. I always end up spending more time, money and effort fixing the thing I scrimped on.

Skimping is the opposite of abundance. When you take the perspective that you have the time to do it the right way, you’ll stay calm and make better choices.

There are many deadlines that we push towards that are self-imposed. Pushing to meet a deadline of any sort will create tension. Deciding to meet a deadline with ease will lead to higher quality results (much better than killing yourself in the process). Rushing to complete a project is a creative buzz kill. The bonus of holding a perspective of having an abundance of time is that you will most likely make a deadline effortlessly.

Many times it is tempting to skimp on quality. I used to own a housecleaning agency in my twenties. When I trained my employees, I told them to be aware if they caught themselves thinking, “That’s good enough.” This usually meant they were taking a short cut and skimping on service. Going for excellence is actually not more effort unless you have the mindset that it is. Picking up an object to dust underneath it, is actually easier than dusting around it. You’d be surprised at how many people skimp and think they’re taking a short cut but sacrificing more time in the end (quality, too!).

Have you ever skimped when you bought yourself something? You purchased your second choice item because you couldn’t justify spending a little bit more cash on something you didn’t absolutely need. Later you wished you’d spent a few more extra bucks to purchase your first choice.

Getting top quality with the features you really desire will always be a good investment. You will be more joyful every time you use it, it will be in better working condition and you’ll have no regrets. When you are in alignment with any purchase, things work out very well.

My grandmother was a person who scrimped with herself. She spoiled us kids with lots of love and food. She’d bend over backwards to make us happy, but with herself, it was a different story. She always saved her money in case things went bad. She’d drive all over town, to different grocery stores, to buy what each of them had on sale. She would spend hours doing this versus going to one store and finishing her shopping in less than one hour. She probably spent more money in gas, driving all over Martinez, than she saved on that can of corn for sixty-nine cents.

Your heart knows when you are skimping. It doesn’t feel good. If you’re being skimpy on customer service, doing a favor for someone or taking care of maintenance on something you own, there will be a soft voice coming from your inner guidance that guides you to act from excellence and abundance. Listen, it will never steer you wrong.

For those of you who are perfectionists, I’m not talking about going the distance for somebody or something and always sacrificing some part of you in return. You most likely need to pull the reins back a bit. Let some things go. But again, it does come back to abundance. You have to trust that everyone will be happy in the end, whether the outcome is perfect or not. If you are worried that things will never be good enough, you may be skimping with self-love and feeling worthy.

Abundance is a feeling not a price tag. It means feeling spacious about time and knowing that you deserve whatever you’d like simply because you were born. Abundance is about knowing you are loved even when there is nobody around. Abundance feels fabulous. You are safe in the world and it’s just one big playground for you to explore. Now go have some fun!

Jeanna Gabellini, is a Master Business Coach who assists high achieving entrepreneurs, corporate leaders & their teams to leverage fun, systems and intentionality for high-octane results. Jeanna co-authored Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction with Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Eva Gregory.  A Gift For You!  Please accept a special audio recording of Jeanna interviewing Joe “Mr. Fire” Vitale, one of “The Secret” teachers, on The 5 Steps for Creating Wealth From the Inside Out: https://www.MasterPeaceCoaching.com/ezine.

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