Do you often label things as being good or bad? Me too.

Maybe we can work together to create a new perspective here. What if the thing in question is not inherently good or bad, but it is your relationship to the thing that dictates how it is perceived?

Remember when kale started being the trendy new veg, and people wanted to consume it in whatever fashion they could, as many times a day as they could? Kale is not good or bad. Not eating any of this healthy ingredient can be a bad thing, for some. Overconsumption of it can also be a bad thing, for many. Even water fits this example.

Maybe the things in your life that you deem 'bad' can be reframed to help you grow.

I use to think social media was bad. I thought it was a waste of time, fake, and full of self-centered vanity. And maybe it is. If you treat it this way. But perhaps you start unfollowing any pages that are distracting you from where you want to be in life, and start only following pages of people who inspire you to become this person. Maybe you spend your time scrolling these pages and slowly shifting your internal world. Then, when you're ready, maybe you start sharing and posting more. Maybe you realize that whatever platform you are using can be a way for you to inspire others too!

This is my story. I fought it for so long, and the funny thing is, it wasn't until I started making connections in my life that made me feel truly seen for who I am that I started to feel comfortable showing up online. I was hiding from all of the real-life connections that never really allowed for me to show up as myself. (Hello, people-pleasing tendencies). We all just wanna be accepted. But as soon as I started to put myself out there on social media I started making even MORE connections that recognized me for me, even if I may never meet any of those people face to face.

So, turns out social media isn't so bad after all.

Many of us have a deep-seeded belief that money is bad. We believe people who have a lot of money are bad. We believe if we have a lot of money it will make us a bad person. But when we need to eat or pay living expenses, suddenly money is good. But now the desire for it is butting heads with your hatred of it. This is so confusing to the universe!!

Do you want money? Do you not want money? Both can be true. But let's break it down a little further. You need money to live in this current system we are in. But you cap yourself at only needing a certain amount, thinking that any extra would make you greedy. I've been there. AND it doesn't make you greedy or bad unless you are doing greedy or bad things with your money. Filling your own cup first is not greedy and is necessary to help others. Life is meant to be enjoyed and experienced.

If more of us good-hearted folks generated more wealth we could do REALLY good things in this world with it. My dream has always been to travel and get paid for it. On the surface, this sounds like I only need money for myself so that I can travel. But what about how my travels help me give back to those around me? When I travel I am infinitely inspired to see things from many other perspectives, and it consistently keeps me humble.

I then get to share my stories and observations from my travels with others who benefit from the little gems hidden inside them! (Hi, it's me, the Wandering Storyteller). I need money to be able to travel and have these experiences. I want to open a retreat center where I create a safe space for people to come and explore their depths, and receive as much transformation as they are ready for on their journey. And of course, this all takes money. But money is just the tool that allows for all of these sacred human experiences to take place. It's just the medium, a symbol of energy exchange.

And I think that's pretty good.

I'll also need to hire people to help me create all of my dreams, and they will need money to live too. So, the more money I make, the more I can give to them, and then they will have more to create their dreams and inspire others. Isn't it beautiful? We all get to choose whether we do this in a greedy way or a love-filled way. There is enough for us all. We are abundant!

Is the ego good or bad? We need a healthy ego so we can discern what is right for ourselves, but an unchecked ego can lead to things like greediness with money, or inflated sense of self.

Everything has a healthy expression and unhealthy expression. And even the unhealthy ways are just there to teach us what we don't yet see, so we can move towards things that are healthy.

'Good and bad' thinking is way too black and white. We have to also consider what context is showing up. Something 'good' today could be 'bad' tomorrow. It could be 'good' for one reason, and 'bad' for another. 'Good' in one situation and 'bad' in a different one.

How do you relate to these things in your life? What other examples can you come up with to reframe for a new perspective?

Sarah ~ The Wandering Storyteller

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