"Just What You Need!"

This morning I read a thought provoking article from the April issue of O magazine.
The subject was on just-in-time (JIT) vs. just-in-case (JIC) thinking, much like "Law of Attraction". The belief behind just-in-case is that "Everything good is scarce!" In contract, just-in-time is the assumption that "Everything good is readily available". We live in an abundant environment. Believing that good things are scarce leads to a host of dysfunctions that can all be summed up in one word: excess. Most of us are living in some form of excess...working too much, eating too much, shopping too much...we just keep doing & accumulating more.

The most common issues are:
People who starve themselves, by dieting or poverty, automatically activate their bodies just-in-case mechanisms that store fat on the body to get through the next "famine".
Just-in-case thinking triggers impulses to hoard good stuff. JIC attitudes combined with a superabundant culture lead to clutter. There have been several cases of people who have taken this take this belief to an extreme. Recently in Shelton, Washington, a woman suffocated under a pile of her own possessions. To recover her body, police had to climb over clutter half way to the ceiling on their hands & knees.
Having lots of money doesn't quiet scarcity-based JIC anxiety. A German billionaire lost hundreds of millions of dollars in the recent financial crisis, despite his existing fortune he threw himself in front of a train.
Just-in-case thinking destroys relationships. It triggers excessive attempts to control our supply of love-- that is, other people. Anxious lovers have their lovers followed. Parents micromanage their children. People-pleasers try to manipulate others into liking them. This is all a fear-based belief that love is scarce. If you have ever been on the receiving end, you know it makes you want to run, not bond.

The great news is one simple mental switch to a just-in-time mindset ("Everything good is readily available") restores health & balance. By focusing on the abundance of your environment, switches your psychological settings so that your life automatically improves in many areas that you many think are unrelated. A leap from fear to faith...that we'll be able to get what we need when we need it.

I know from personal experience, that when you let go of strict dieting the body can let go of its panicky fat-storing mode and into a state that helps it shed excess fat.
Choosing just-in-time confidence can eliminate clutter and achieve a wonderful, spacious feeling.
Trusting life, even in the current economy, will bring clients out of the woodwork.
It often seems nothing short of miraculous, perhaps this is why the Bible included the story of the wandering Israelites who were given manna from heaven, but only permitted to gather enough to supply their needs for the day (except on Friday when they could gather for their Sabbath). Otherwise, the manna would rot or melt away.
Just-in-time confidence keeps supply lines clear and prosperity flowing.
I've done my share of just-in-case controlling when it comes to love, still do sometimes. I am learning that I can respond to someone as he or she really is, instead of trying to force them into my box.
If we can reroute a few simple brain habits, our lives will improve almost effortlessly. We wouldn't need to drudge up childhood tramas or hook up an anti-depressant IV. We can just flip the neuro-logical switch from fight-or-flight (sympathetic nervous system) to rest-and-relaxation (parasympathetic nervous system). Animals experience this switch in response to environmental conditions. We, as humans, possess the unparelled ability to switch it with our thoughts alone. It's almost too easy. The best way is to use these 3 simple exercises:

1. List ten times you thought that there wouldn't be enough of something and you survived.
2. List ten areas where you have too much, not too little.
3. List 20 - or 50, or 1,000 - wonderful things that entered your life just at the right time, with no effort on your part. Start with the little things (oxygen, sunlight, a song on the radio). You'll soon think of bigger ones. Many of the most important things in our lives show up this way.

Once you focus on all the abundance (try a gratitude journal), you'll be overwelmed by all the good things that show up like manna in the desert. You will find yourself struggling less and acomplishing more. Don't beat yourself up for not starting sooner, you're just in time. :)