“Higher nature” can be things like… more money, more success, more opportunities. A better home. A better body. A goal accomplished. A thriving business. An introduction to work with someone you admire and respect.
To achieve these higher nature things, you have to first let go of the “lower nature” things you’ve been tolerating… such as beliefs that aren’t serving you, habits that aren’t helping you, people who drag you down, and environments that are toxic.
The lower nature stuff is like clutter, preventing the higher nature things from coming into your world.
I’ve experienced this firsthand. The biggest example is the healthy relationship that I’m currently in. Truth be told, this is probably the first TRULY healthy romantic relationship I’ve ever been in.
You can bet your ass I had to use the Law of Sacrifice to create this relationship!
I had to let go of dating people who weren’t a good fit for me. I had to let go of bad communication habits within myself… I had to learn new ways, new skills of communicating, or else this relationship would never survive.
It’s deeply rewarding in a way that no other past “bad relationship” ever was.
Fact: When you let go of something that isn’t making you feel your best… you create a SPACE for something better to come in.
Just yesterday I deleted about 50 people off my Facebook. They were individuals who added me as “friends” years ago and never said a single word to me since then. They are clutter.
I don’t need them in my life.
Harsh? Maybe. But it creates a huge space for more meaningful friendships and relationships to come into my life.
(I never understood the point of having 1000+ “friends” on Facebook. If you can’t go deep with someone in a friendship, what’s the point?)
I’m also using the Law of Sacrifice in other areas of my life. For example, if someone bills me incorrectly, or charges my card for something small that I didn’t order, or a makes a small mistake that costs ME money — I don’t follow up on it to fix it.
I’ve decided that’s not worth my time. I simply forgive the person (or company) and just go about my day. Because my highest value activity is simply doing my work: my writing and editing that creates sales for my clients.
Arguing for 15 minutes on the phone over a $10 error, is not worth my time.
Chasing a $100 refund from a company that turned out to be shady is not worth my time.
Asking for a refund on a crappy hotel that was $400… is not worth my time. (Finding a better hotel and just paying an additional fee IS worth my time.)
Spending $4000 bucks on an event and not getting the value I thought I’d get from it… same. I am not asking the host for a refund. I have not sent in a single complaint.
Why? Because doing so would put me in a victim state, which is something of a “lower nature” that blocks higher nature things from coming into my world.
I feel pretty damn good about myself, that I’m able to view life this way. It’s a choice. (I wasn’t always this way. Other people’s “errors” used to really piss me off!)
This Friday I leave for Chicago with my boyfriend for the weekend. I’m already using the Law of Sacrifice in preparation for making our upcoming trip the best it can be.
On that note… I’m off to do some editing. Apparently I just beat out Anthony Bourdain’s editor for an editing gig. I wasn’t even trying! I don’t compete with anyone. I just do my thing.
See ya.
Michelle
Anti Marketing Manifesto
www.AntiMarketingManifesto.com
If anything, I can help you use the Law of Sacrifice to determine which things (beliefs, habits, etc.) you need to let go of… in order to create space for more enjoyable experiences to come in.
Michelle Lopez Boggs is a copywriter, copywriting mentor, and author of "The Anti-Marketing Manifesto: How to Sell Without Being a Sellout." She's helped her clients sell millions of dollars' worth of products and services online by using the MEI(S) principle — motivate, educate, and inspire, and sell. 