This, or something better

A few years ago, I created a vision board, and I decided to put it on my bathroom wall. 

One day, when I was stepping out of the shower, my eyes homed in on that vision board. In particular, I zoomed in on this one image of a cruise ship that I had pasted onto that board.

I remember thinking to myself, “Oh yeah, I put this cruise ship on there because I wanted to experience a cruise this year as part of my vision. Maybe I'll call Princess Cruises later on and see if they have any good deals.”

That thought came and went, and I just went about my day.

I was reminded of this experience because I had a session with one of my coaching clients recently, where we talked about the unlimited possibilities in life. 

One of the insights that I learned from one of my spiritual teachers is that whenever you come up with a vision statement, a list of intentions or a declaration of goals, I always add this particular statement at the end:

“This, or something better.” 

When you say “This, or something better,” “this” refers to your vision, your intentions and your goals.

You have a picture in your mind of what you'd like to experience.

“Or something better” refers to that good that you didn't imagine was possible, that joy that you didn't even know could happen.

Here’s the truth: You don't know what you don't know.

If you’re like most people, you operate largely from the realm of what's known and what's familiar to you. 

The known includes things like the places you live and enjoy visiting, the people that you love and connect with regularly in your life, and the grocery stores that you shop at or coffee shops and restaurants you like to frequent. 

The known encompasses your habits and ways of being that are very comfortable and familiar. 

The known gives you a sense of comfort and your place in the world.

And yet, it's in the realm of the unknown where most growth happens. 

In the realm of the unknown, things happen that you might not have expected.

Sometimes, when you encounter these new experiences, you become surprised. 

But you become surprised not only because of the new experiences, but also because of how you show up in response to this new challenge or opportunity. 

In the realm of the unknown, you have the opportunity to rise to the occasion.

When you rise and show up, that's how you’re actually transformed. 

You become more of who you are. You enlarge your sense of who you are and what's possible for you.

And so, when you say, “This or something better,” what you're doing is making a signal to the universe that you’re both open and willing to experience more good than you might have ever imagined. 

You come to believe that you are equal and worthy to the idea of "something better."

So back to my story about the cruise. 

When I first made that vision board, I made a declaration to myself with “This, or something better.”

After seeing that vision board in the bathroom that one day and immediately forgetting about it, I received a letter in the mail a few days later. 

I opened the letter and it said, “Congratulations, you have been offered a free seven-day cruise to Alaska!” 

I thought, “What is this? Some kind of scam?”

I was ready to toss the letter aside but then, I paused. I thought, “Well, what if this letter has some validity? Let me call the number.”

I called the number and spoke to the representative, who exclaimed, “Congratulations!”

I responded, “Oh well…yeah…thank you. I'm curious and have a few questions about this. Is this some kind of timeshare presentation thing, where I have to sit and listen to someone for three hours?” 

“Oh no, it's nothing like that,” she replied. “You get to go on this cruise and it’s on us.”

“Well, I probably will get an inside stateroom, right? Like, right next to the boiler room at the bottom of the ship?” I asked skeptically.

Again, she responded, “Oh no! We're actually going to put you in a balcony stateroom on one of the higher levels of the ship!”

“Hmm, okay,” I said, still not quite believing her. “I'm probably going to be rooming with a stranger, right? You're going to put two of us who don’t know each other together!”

“Oh no,” she laughed. “You get to bring anybody that you want. For that one other person, we're covering all of their expenses for this cruise too!” 

This seemed too good to be true! 

In my last ditch attempt to burst my own bubble, I said to her, “Oh I see now. This cruise is leaving out of Seattle. I live in San Francisco. I'm going to have to fly up and find my way there to be able to get on this cruise ship.”

This was her last response to my barrage of questions. 

“Oh no," she replied. "We’ll actually pay for your and your guest’s flights to Seattle. We’ll also cover your stay the night before the cruise, as well as any meals and other expenses you might have before this trip.” 

After realizing that this was real and truly something better than I had ever thought possible, I finally replied, “Okay! Go ahead and sign me up!”

By this point of the story, you're probably wondering how I got offered this free cruise (and how you can get offered one too!).

You see, I had bought some artwork on a previous cruise. The cruise line targeted passengers who previously bought artwork.

As part of a promotion to get people to buy more artwork, the cruise line offered this free cruise!

And despite my doubts that this "something better" cruise was the real deal, I finally came to embrace this unbelievable good that showed up.

I ended up going on this cruise and asked my friend Myra to come along with me. 

We had a fantastic time, truly one of the best memories I've had for a cruise. 

My question to you today is this:

Where in your life do you have a sense of what you want to experience? 

And are you open and willing to entertain the possibility of something better showing up?

If so, simply add the statement, "This, or something better."
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Ultimately, my intention for you is that for whatever it is you want to experience, we create this field of possibility that this, or something better, is available for you.

All you need to do is be open to receive it. 

Abundant Blessings and Namaste.

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I'd love to hear your thoughts about today's article. Please feel free to leave a comment below.