How Many Licks does it Take…?

Do you remember that classic commercial: How many licks does it take to reach the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop?

Well, I have a question for you and I want you to think about it for a minute before answering. Of course, you need only answer the question for yourself.

How many times do you ask for what you want before it shows up?

I don’t mean how many times do you ask a person for something you want from him or her. I mean how many times do you ask God/Goddess/All-That-Is/The Universe for those things you want?

Recently, I’ve noticed that, on some subjects, I ask multiple times a day. I’ll be going about my business, then something will remind me of the subject at hand, and I’ll ask for what I want again. I’m working on training myself out of that some. Or rather, I am augmenting my request with acknowledgement.

Think of it this way. Imagine that every time you make a request the Universe, it responds with, “Your order has been received and is processing.” When you make an additional request for the same thing, the Universe responds this way: “Your new order has been received and is processing. The previous order has been canceled.”

If we keep making the same request over and over again, our order will continually be received and processed, but will never ship.

Starting thinking in terms of online shopping. You shop around; you decide; you make your request; and then some time later, it arrives.

In June of 2015, I moved into this apartment building. I hadn’t lived in an apartment for many years before that. I had always lived in houses, duplexes, or flats. Immediately, I started sorting through my preferences. “Oh, this I like,” I would say about those things that were better. Inter-mixed with those were, “I don’t like this so much. I wish it were this other way instead.”

After a few months of constant sorting, I sat down and really thought about it. I did a focus wheel on the subject. From that, I noted that nearly all of my preferences could be answered here in this complex, simply in a different apartment within it. I also admitted to myself that I wasn’t ready to receive what I wanted. I couldn’t stomach the idea of moving again so soon. I think my asking calmed down quite a bit after that.

The whole exercise was interesting because I really got to watch the process of manifestation from a different vantage—not just intellectually, but experientially.

My lease came up for renewal in the spring. By then, I was nearly ready to make the switch. I had already worked out which apartments would work for me. Unfortunately, there were only 4.

Whenever I thought about it, though, I didn’t ask for it to show up. Instead, I would take a moment to imagine what it would feel like after I was there. I knew it was merely a matter of time, not a matter of if. I also knew that I was the one slowing it down. I didn’t want it to happen until I was ready for it.

In this building, apartments come and go regularly. You have to keep an eye out for their availability. Sometimes I was checking regularly. Other times, I wasn’t checking at all. Each time I would look, I monitored my emotions. Sometimes…most of the time…I was actually afraid of finding that one of my chosen apartments was available. You see, I wasn’t ready to move, so I didn’t want one to be on the list.

This summer, after signing on for another year, the whole subject got pushed to the side. I was quite occupied with another project, so I didn’t think about it hardly at all. One morning as my summer project was winding down, I was inspired to look. Lo and behold, one of the magic four was available, and the move in date was conveniently after my project would be complete.

Excitement ran through me. I knew I could have it if I wanted it. At the same time, I had grown so comfortable with my current place, I could also let it go. And then, when I thought about the actual move, I almost wanted to let it go.

I ultimately decided to take it. I had plenty of time to prepare for the move…too much time, in fact.

Two weeks ago, I made the move. I am now in a seemingly identical apartment, except in a better location within the building and with a stellar view. I don’t remember if I wrote down all of my requests, but so far, I believe every one of them was answered.

When you don’t have to make a change, asking for an upgrade is a great manifestational exercise. You can play with it like a game. But then, on the hairy subjects…

Most of us get into an elevator and push the button of the floor we wish to go to. In most cases, it lights up, acknowledging our request. Some of us nonetheless push the button a few more times thinking it will make it happen quicker.

In life, pushing the wish button repeatedly doesn’t bring our desires to us faster. In fact, it slows it all down. And because wish buttons don’t light up, some of us push them repeatedly just because we’re not confident the Universe heard us.

Trust me. The Universe heard you.

Our asking never stops. It is pretty much impossible to not state our preferences every day. As mentioned in the previous post, I am training myself to notice and acknowledge all the times a request is delivered. I am also reminding myself more and more that my request has been received and is processing. Just like with this apartment, the real work is in readying myself for the move.

My work today is readying myself for a number of requests that have already been received, have already been processed, and are simply waiting for my OK to be shipped.

Internet shopping has gotten very easy, but the Universe wants you to know: “You’ve seen nothing yet, baby!”