Summer Sabbatical And Archive Replays

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to Roots of the Rise with me, Sarah Hope. Before we dive in, a quick note. As you may already know, Roots of the Rise is taking a summer sabbatical and will return in September with brand new episodes. Throughout the summer, I will be re-releasing some of the most impactful and requested episodes from the archive, the ones that sparked conversation, resonated deeply, and made a lasting difference for listeners. I have chosen this season intentionally. Sometimes growth isn't about consuming more information. Sometimes it's about revisiting what we've already learned and allowing it to sink in more deeply. As part of this summer series, I will also be revisiting each episode myself, sharing a few updated thoughts or insights at the beginning and creating new companion resources for my Patreon members, including reflective prompts, worksheets, contemplations, whatever tool feels most appropriate to help you take these ideas further. As you listen, notice what stands out to you this time around, what lands differently, what feels especially relevant to where you are today. The most powerful lesson is often not the one we hear for the first time, but the one we are finally ready to receive. Which is a great segue into the topic for today. Once again, I am re-releasing two related episodes that share an important thread. When I first recorded episode four on gratitude and scarcity, I was mostly thinking about gratitude as a way to shift our attention from what's missing to what's present. Looking back now, I want to acknowledge another layer to the conversation that's really important. Many of us aren't just focused on what's lacking. We also struggle to receive what's already here. We minimize compliments, we brush off appreciation, we feel uncomfortable accepting help. We stay so busy giving that we never fully allow ourselves to receive, so focused on what we haven't done that we don't allow ourselves to really enjoy what we have accomplished. That's what the second episode in this re-release explores, because gratitude isn't only about noticing what's good, it's also about allowing ourselves to take it in. So today I invite you to revisit episodes four and 110 from the Roots of the Rise archive. As you listen, notice where scarcity may still be showing up in your life and where you might be resisting the very support, appreciation, or abundance you've been hoping for.

A Scarcity Spiral Around Time

SPEAKER_00 3:06

A lot, uh, when I was trying to figure out, sorry, you might hear my cat meow, apologies. Anyway, trying to figure out the balance between my work, which I love. I love working with clients, I love teaching, um, and having a child who I also adore more than anything. And I found myself day after day after day just being so upset that I didn't have enough time. And, you know, I'm gonna talk about this in regards to time, but it's pertinent to a whole bunch of things. Anytime you find yourself saying, Gosh, I wish I had more time, I wish I had more money, I wish I had more love, I wish I had more friends, I wish I had more clients. I mean, fill in the blank with whatever it is that you feel like you don't have enough of in your life. So for me, it was time. And this is coming up again now because as I've introduced having this podcast be in my life, I'm finding that, you know, obviously it takes up time to create. And so other things are getting crunched, and I'm figuring it out, right? And I was reminded of how powerful this one simple practice was for me in shifting kind of the energy and the resentment and the frustration I had around uh time management. So I thought I would share this practice with you and see if it was helpful for you as well. So all you have to do is first of all notice if you are constantly saying to yourself, man, I just don't have enough whatever it is, time. Man, I just don't have enough time. I didn't have enough time today to do this, this, and this. And as soon as you catch yourself doing it, stop and give gratitude for what you did have time to accomplish. Say I am frustrated that I didn't have time to work on uh creating the content for a class I'm teaching next week. As soon as I caught myself saying, Oh, I didn't have enough time to do that, I would pause and then say, but I am so glad that I did have enough time to make cookie dough with my son this afternoon. And this pertains to everything. Say it's finances, and you're feeling really frustrated that you don't have enough money to go out to dinner tonight. You would stop and say, Oh, but I'm so grateful that I have enough money to pay all of my bills. Say it's that you're feeling like you don't have enough love in your life. Well, then you pause and you see if you can find just one example of love that is present. It might just be your cat, which I don't know if you can pick up is sitting next to me purring like crazy. You know, that's enough. All we're looking to do is give our brains, our minds, our hearts, an opportunity to see abundance where before it was only seeing lack. And that's that scarcity connection. You know, what we're seeing, what we're attending to is all the ways in which our life is lacking in the moment. We're seeing where we're missing something. And that's not giving us the time to attend to all the things that are present, everything that's in opposition to that feeling of lack. Now, look, I'm not saying that we're not strapped for time or cash or love. Like everybody goes through phases of that in their life. So it's not that I was wrong when I felt like I didn't quote unquote have enough time in my life. I was strapped. Everybody has experienced this in parenthood. Like there is so little time in the day. All of your energy and attention is getting poured into this creature that you're trying to, you know, keep alive. And it does feel like you have um your days have shrunk. But that doesn't mean that we want to get stuck in this story in our heads that says we don't have enough time. Most of us, especially recently, have experienced some sort of financial hardship where we feel like our money isn't going as far as it used to because it isn't. So it's not that we're wrong in that we feel like um things are tighter than they used to be. But there's a difference between acknowledging and accepting the reality of situation and suffering because of it. So all we're trying to do here is shift our attention into what we can be grateful for in a given moment. What is going well, what is going right, as opposed to pouring all of our energy and attention into how hard life is. If all you do is think about the ways in which you don't have enough, then that's all you're gonna see. And this is a common thread. This is something that's gonna kind of come up repeatedly in multiple different conversations because it's just a spiritual truth. So this practice of just stopping kind of the spiral into frustration and upset over what might be challenging us in a given moment is just a tool to help us kind of reset our internal compass to help us see where we actually are kind of doing better than maybe we are think we are. You know, it's so easy to complain. So easy, and everybody does it, and it's a bonding tool, right? You know, you go to a party, it's very rare that everybody is sitting around talking about all the wonderful things that are happening in their life. No, they're talking about, ugh, you wouldn't believe my boss, and ugh, you wouldn't believe, you know, that my water bill went up X amount of dollars this month and all of that. No, people commiserate, they they bond over commiseration. And it'd be really nice if we could shift into bonding over all the wonderful things that we have going on, even if they're small, even if they're just tiny little moments of joys or wins. So that's what I want to encourage you to kind of play with today. Notice, first of all, if you are kind of repeatedly saying to yourself, I don't have enough, whatever it is, just notice if you're even doing that. Maybe you're not. If not, yay you. But if you are, then take note of it. Take note of where you are, either intentionally or unintentionally, paying attention to what you lack in your life. And then the second step is to reframe it, is to stop and say, no, no, wait. I'm so grateful that I have enough time. I'm so grateful that I have enough time to actually grab lunch with my spouse. I'm so grateful that I have enough money to buy a new dog toy for my dog. I'm so grateful that I have friends that are super supportive, even if I don't get to see them all the time. What you attend to, where you place your energy, will grow. So flip the switch today and really try to focus on what you have, not what you don't have.

Gratitude As A Trainable Skill

SPEAKER_00 11:13

It's November, which means everyone starts talking about giving thanks. There's a part of me that wanted to resist that, to go against the grain and talk about gratitude some other time. But you know what? It's already front of mine, so let's just lean in. So every Monday this month, I'll be exploring different ways to cultivate gratitude in your life and the nuances that make a gratitude practice actually work. How to move it from something you think about once in a while to something that becomes embedded or integrated, a part of who you are. And here's the thing: most of us aren't really craving more things to be grateful for. What we're actually craving is a greater capacity to feel the things we already have. The love, the support, the moments of connection we often overlook. That's why developing gratitude isn't just a nice habit. It's a practice in opening yourself up to your own life in a fuller, more alive way. Now, look, I know that many of us want more things to be grateful for, and there's something very human in that. We all want more peace, more joy, more gratitude, more love in our lives. So I'm not saying that that doesn't exist. What I am pointing out is that many of us already have that in abundance. We just don't see it. I already went into the foundations of gratitude and why it's worth developing in episode 78. If you haven't listened to that one yet, you might want to go back and check it out first. I'll link it in the show notes. But if you don't want to take the time, let me just take a quick moment to recap why gratitude itself is such an important skill to practice. And it is a skill. Gratitude isn't about pretending everything's fine or forcing yourself to be positive. That's just spiritual bypass. It's really about training your awareness to notice the good that's already present in your life, the things that are quietly supporting you. When we do that consistently, we start to shift the way our minds work. Instead of constantly scanning for what's missing or might go wrong, we begin to see what's working, what's actually good, what's holding us, the people who are supporting us. And that changes everything. It expands our capacity for presence, for joy, and for actually wanting to feel our lives as they unfold. It makes us want to be here instead of numb or tap out. It's the key to abundance because where our attention goes, energy flows. It's an annoying cliche, but also true. If you're always focusing on the negative, you will see and experience more of the negative. But when you shift your focus to what you're grateful for, even in small ways, the flow changes. You start to experience more of what you want and less of what you don't. To get deeper into that, just listen to episode 78. But if you're ready to keep going, let's talk about one of the most powerful ways to cultivate gratitude, receiving it.

Letting Thanks Land In The Body

SPEAKER_00 14:17

When we talk about receiving gratitude, we're really talking about perceiving it, about letting ourselves truly take it in. I mean, most of us are pretty good or at least decent at giving thanks. But here's what I want you to ask yourself: what did you do the last time someone said thank you to you? Did you actually receive it or did you downplay it? Say, oh, no big deal, or anyone would have done the same. Most of us do that. We feel a little awkward when someone thanks us in a genuine way. So we deflect. But the research shows that when we receive gratitude, when we pause, breathe, and actually allow ourselves to feel someone's appreciation for us, our brain and body light up in powerful healing ways. It tells the nervous system you're safe, you matter, you belong. The same circuits that activate when we give gratitude fire up, but this time with an added layer of connection and worthiness. So this isn't just about being polite, about being better about receiving thanks. It's a practice in letting love land. Gratitude is sometimes called the social glue because it's what helps us know we're part of something larger. It's how we affirm connection and belonging. I mean, it even triggers the biological systems linked to trust and bonding, like oxytocin, amplifying the positive ripple effects between people. You've probably felt this before. I mean, depending on whether or not you've trained yourself to receive love or you tend to push it away to various degrees. But just think about the last time someone sent you a note or a message expressing that they appreciated something you did. What happened? Did you get a little mood boost, a reflexive smile, maybe a softening in your chest or a sense of warmth toward that person? Or maybe you receive gratitude more easily through gifts. Think about the last time someone surprised you with something small simply because they love you. They were just expressing their appreciation for having you in their life. This actually just happened to me. I was visiting a friend I haven't seen in a long time, and we were enjoying such a wonderful visit, and we were out shopping, and she unexpectedly gifted me with this perfect little crystal that I now have sitting on my desk. And I know, because this has been one of my best friends for 30-something years, that it was her way of saying, thank you for making the effort to be here. Thank you for showing up. Thank you for taking the time to visit. And now, granted, it didn't feel like any effort on my part. I mean, I was so excited to uh spend time with her and the kids. Do you see what I just did there? I just did exactly what I'm talking about in this episode. I just downplayed it, right? It's so naturally ingrained in us to want to say, no, no, it's not that big a deal. When actually it is, you know, it is. It's important. It takes time, it takes effort, it takes intention to remove ourselves from our day-to-day lives, to, you know, leave behind maybe um, you know, husband or child or other responsibilities in order to spend time with the people who matter. So uh let me back up and instead of downplaying it, say, yes, it took all of those things. And it was also something I very much wanted to do. And every time I look at that little gift, that crystal that she gave me, I will think of her and I will feel the sweetness of her appreciation of my effort all over again. And now, granted, that's because I'm a visual person. When I look at something tangible that someone gave me or that I bought while having an experience with them, it immediately brings up all those warm, gooey, lovey feelings, that same feeling of love. But I think many people can relate to having this sense of peace and of belonging and of connection that happens when they look at, you know, the letter somebody wrote them saying thank you for doing X, Y, and Z. Or when they look at a picture and they remember how grateful their friend was for planning that surprise party for them or whatnot. You know, gratitude, letters, visits, gestures, gifts, they do this for all of us. They all produce this lift in mood and a deepening sensation of closeness if we let them. And that really can't be overstated. In an age where so many people feel lonely and disconnected, gratitude is one of the most powerful bridges we have. So, what destroys that bridge? It's simple, really. It's lack of acknowledgement. It's what we do to block gratitude from landing within us. When we downplay someone's appreciation, when we say, oh, it was nothing, or if we feel like we don't deserve it, we break the flow of connection. When we're distracted or mentally busy or caught up in our own self-criticism, we can't actually perceive the gratitude being offered. That's what closes the bridge. You know, gratitude is meant to be a two-way street. It's given and it's received. When we fail to receive it, the gift kind of bounces off and the nervous system doesn't register safety, belonging, or connection. And in a world where so many of us feel lonely or unseen, that missed connection is a real problem. It's exactly what keeps the bridge from forming. The same way that uh William Arthur Ward says, feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. Not allowing yourself to deeply receive the gratitude is like having someone hand you a gift and you say, hmm, yeah, I don't really want that. No thanks. I'm gonna turn that present down. And, you know, the effect of this on a spiritual level is really what I'm talking about, and we can't ignore it. When you shut down receiving gratitude, it's like you're telling the universe, no, I don't, I don't want that. I don't want to be seen, I don't want to be appreciated. You're rejecting the acknowledgement that others and life itself is offering you. You see someone trying to honor or recognize you and you push it away, and then you wonder why you feel unseen, unappreciated, and alone. I mean, spiritually, receiving gratitude is about so much more than just social connection. It's about alignment. It's a practice of opening to the flow of life and saying, I'm here, I'm seen, I'm worthy of love and acknowledgement. I'm worthy of all the wonderful things life has to offer me. When you allow gratitude to land, you're letting that energy of appreciation move through you, affirming your place in the world and deepening your sense of interconnectedness. Blocking it, even unconsciously, creates resistance to that flow. And that's where so much of our spiritual stagnation or loneliness comes from. So, how do we fix

Three Ways To Practice Receiving

SPEAKER_00 21:49

it? How do we start actually receiving gratitude, both for our own well-being and for this deeper sense of connectedness with others? Which is a gift you give back to them, right? This is reciprocal, which also feeds into this sense of belonging and having a place in this world, in this life. Here are three ways you can practice this week. The first one, this is what I call a moment of more, taking time to pause, notice, and deepen into the moment. And this is kind of deceptively simple, right? Just pause and notice the next time someone expresses appreciation, whether in words, a note, a small gift, allow yourself to fully take it in. Just pause for a moment instead of reflexively responding, potentially downplaying. Just breathe. Let yourself feel it in your body. Resist that urge to explain it away or reflexively say, oh, it was nothing. Just receive it. You can even silently say to yourself, thank you. I accept this. I allow this. I am worthy of this gratitude. That small act, it opens the heart. It strengthens that bridge of connection and it reinforces your sense of being seen, valued, and alive. You know, this is a moment of more, like I talk about in episode 94. Let it in and allow yourself to deeply feel it. The second suggestion I have is reflective journaling. At the end of the day, write down a moment when someone expressed appreciation toward you. Don't just reflect on the act itself, but on how it felt in your body, your heart, your mind. I mean, this is where you can notice any resistance or deflection you experienced and gently remind yourself, I am worthy of receiving this gratitude. So it doesn't even matter if in the moment you didn't do step one, you didn't allow yourself to receive it. Later on, you can sit back with the experience and allow yourself to briefly receive it kind of retroactively. Because you remember, your brain doesn't know the difference between something happening in real time or you just re-experiencing it. So you can actually go back and kind of re-experience the moment and train yourself in that time how you want to receive it. Because over time, it will build your capacity to perceive and accept the appreciation without shrinking away. Number three, the last one that I'd like to recommend is uh the gratitude mirror. So you stand in front of a mirror and you imagine someone is expressing gratitude to you. Look yourself in the eyes and silently receive it. Yes, this can feel super awkward at first, but it's a powerful way to practice accepting recognition and love. Your brain will begin to start associate being seen with safety and belonging, which will strengthen both your self-worth and that ability to connect deeply with others.

Gratitude As A Bridge

SPEAKER_00 25:09

So as we wrap up, remember this gratitude isn't just about noticing what's good in your life, although that's important, and we'll talk about that uh in some later episodes. But it's really about receiving what's good in your life. When you allow appreciation to land fully in your body, again, whether through words, gestures, like a strong, like deep hug or small acts of kindness, you strengthen your connections, open your heart, and align yourself with the flow of life. Start small. Just pause, breathe, reflect, even try the mirror exercise. And just notice how it changes the way you feel, both socially and spiritually. I mean, the more you practice receiving, the more your capacity to give, to love, and to be fully present expands. Gratitude is a bridge and it is waiting for you to cross it fully, openly, and without hesitation. Thank you so much for listening today. If you'd like to stay connected, make sure you either like or subscribe to the show. And you can always visit risingwithsarah.com to sign up for my newsletter and be the first to know about new retreats and offerings to help you live with more joy and authenticity. And remember, know who you are, love who you've been, and be willing to do the work to become who you're meant to be.

Disclaimer And Final Reminder

SPEAKER_00 26:43

Just a quick reminder this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. I am not a licensed therapist, and nothing shared here is meant to replace the guidance of a physician, therapist, or any other qualified provider. That said, I hope it inspires you to grow, heal, and seek the support you need to thrive.