I found myself writing an intro for a television interview this morning and this is what came out:

The disease that plagues our planet is a cancer called not-enoughness which has created an epidemic of financial lack and limitation.

As I wrote these words, I began to reflect on my own journey of not-enoughness and how 13 years ago I described my financial condition as “Cancer”.   At the time I owed the IRS hundreds of thousands of dollars and to say the fear of that looming over my head truly did feel like a death sentence.    I remember like it was yesterday saying “it would be easier to cure physical cancer than this financial cancer”.

The truth is cancer is simply the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells.  It reflects a deeper issue which has provided a breeding ground for its uncontrolled growth.  In my case 13 years ago, it was believing I was not enough.  Only through recognizing my value was I able to cure my cancer.

Globally, up until 2008, there was an uncontrolled growth of abnormal currency cells.  The breeding ground allowing the uncontrolled growth was greed, the deeper issue was an uncontrolled belief in “not enoughness”.     Even though it seemed at the time, the entire world had “enough” stuff up until that point,  what was the cost?  Over consumption, debt, excess and the desire to fill our lives with “things” to fill the not-enoughness container.

What is the cost to an addict or alcoholic when you strip away their dependence cold turkey?  In the past five years I have watched a planet go from “financially” hiding their feelings about feeling enough to cold turkey stripping away their addiction to the things that keep this belief hidden.  As the world contracted into a belief that money is the only thing that creates the enoughness, I am constantly amazed at how it has been called “crisis” “meltdown”, “worst since . . .”, “horrific” and more.   It causes me great pause when the press is consistently reminding us that we truly do not have enough and that something needs to be done about it.

Yes something does need to be done.  We must see that our value has nothing to do with the things and everything to do with who we are but who we be.  Then and only then, does wealth come pouring in pressed, down shaken up and overflowing.

What if the real truth is that the sheer volume of money that was swirling about up until 2008 was simply a way for us to cover up and blind ourselves from our belief that we were not enough?     As long as you were able to buy the monolith homes, multiples cars, electronics that numb feelings or travel away from your life regularly, you would not have to look at the not enoughness that was  lingering right below the surface.

As the world has adopted the these mantras:

We don’t have enough to do the things that we want.
We don’t have enough to feel good about our lives.
We don’t have enough to create change.
We don’t have enough to be who we are.

We just don’t have enough, the result is YES.  You are right!

Imagine that this change in the economic climate was simply an opportunity to look deeply into the caverns of your value of enoughness and decide who you are without the distractions.  Instead of calling it wrong or bad that families moved in together, began to eat meals at home, shared a ride or a computer, that therein lies the opportunity to touch the very fabric of your humanity, your love, your kindness, your tolerance, your value.

There is so much conversation around a “return to values”.  Yes we need to return to values, our own value, what makes us who we are, what we bring to the planetary table as our good and gift.

How can you know who you are when your self-worth is contingent upon a physical appendage as large as a car, a boat or a house?   Stripped down naked allows you to get in touch with you and begin to create wealth from that space, not one of mind numbing, intoxicated, unconscious lives.

The word wealth comes from an old English word “weal” which literally translated means happiness, well-being, prosperity.  The condition of happiness or well-being.   How do you demonstrate that in your life today?  Is it still contingent upon a thing, or can you get in touch with that condition of happiness and well-being from inside your inner most beingness?

This financial cancer that is plaguing the planet is caused by inflammation, as is all dis-ease.   The inflammation of the not enoughness belief creates fear, constriction of the heart and leads to more financial cancer.  Opening up to one’s own value is an anti-inflammatory remedy for that cancer.

You can begin today by knowing your true worth and value from the inside out and allow true wealth to press down upon you as a reflection of the truth of who you are.