You're probably thinking, "Oh great, another post about manifesting millions while sipping coconut water on a beach somewhere." Don't worry - this isn't that kind of story. In fact, my journey with abundance started in the most unlikely place: my cluttered apartment during a particularly brutal bout of anxiety.

Picture this: Me, surrounded by stuff I'd bought to feel successful (hello, unused fancy planner collection), eating takeout because I was "too busy" to cook, while obsessively checking my bank account. Spoiler alert: checking it every hour didn't make the numbers get bigger.

Here's the moment that changed everything: I was listening to my friend Sarah (who always seems to have her life together) talk about her weekend. She'd spent it hiking, cooking with friends, and working on her side project. Nothing fancy or expensive, but she radiated joy. Meanwhile, I was sitting there in my designer jeans, feeling completely empty.

That's when it hit me - I had abundance all wrong.

We're all chasing this idea of "more." More money, more stuff, more followers, more everything. But what if abundance isn't about having more? What if it's about seeing more in what you already have?

Let me share something kind of vulnerable: I used to think abundance meant never having to worry about money. Then I met a millionaire who was constantly stressed about losing it all, and a teacher who lived in a tiny house but had the richest life I'd ever seen. Talk about a perspective shift.

Here's what I've learned about true abundance (and trust me, I'm still learning):

It's in the way my neighbor leaves fresh herbs on my doorstep "because she grew too many." It's in having three real friends instead of three hundred surface-level connections. It's in the ideas that flow when I stop clutching my "lack" mindset like a security blanket.

The wild thing is, when I started approaching life from this perspective, the strangest things began happening. Opportunities showed up in unexpected places. My network grew organically. And yes, my bank account got healthier - not because I was chasing money, but because I finally had the mental space to see opportunities I was too stressed to notice before.

Let's talk about something real: There are days when abundance feels like a joke. When the bills pile up, or a client ghosts you, or everything seems to go wrong at once. I still have those days. But now I have tools for those moments too.

Want to know my favorite abundance hack? (And no, it's not writing affirmations 100 times.)

When I'm feeling stuck in scarcity, I do what I call a "richness audit." I open my notes app and list everything that made me feel rich that day. Sometimes it's as simple as "had hot water for a shower" or "friend sent me a funny meme." It sounds ridiculous, but it works. Every. Single. Time.

Because here's the truth about abundance that nobody talks about: It's not about what you have. It's about how clearly you can see what's already there.

I'm curious - what makes you feel abundant? What's on your "richness audit" list? Drop a comment below. Sometimes the best insights come from the most unexpected places.

Until next time, Dr. Christopher Paul

P.S. Speaking of abundance of ideas, next week we're diving into wellness - but not the expensive juice cleanse kind. We're talking real, messy, achievable wellness for people who actually have lives to live.