I heard this phrase not too long ago from some people that I highly respect today. Like many other bits of advice I’ve heard, I nodded and either put it in the back of my mind or opened the other ear and let it out to make more room in my head.

Over time, that phrase has come to mean a lot to me. Over the past six months or so, I’ve constantly heard it repeated in my head whenever I’ve experienced difficulty or became irritated or upset with a situation I found myself in.

Perhaps it could mean something slightly different to you, but here’s what it means to me:

You’ll never have more then you can handle. What you have now in your life – money, relationships/friendships, responsibilities, etc. – is all you are capable of handling. At no point in your life will you have more then you can handle (not for an extended period of time, anyway) nor will you have less.

Well at this point, it takes on two meanings for me. The first being that whatever you may be going through, or will go through in life, is fully within your abilities to manage and overcome. Nothing is ever ‘too much’ for you to handle. Now, many people believe in many different things, be it God or Nature or just the Universe around us. Whatever you believe in, Life will never overwhelm you. Know that what comes your way is within your powers to handle, and it was sent your way as an opportunity for you to learn and grow. So look at it that way, as opposed to thinking that the world is conspiring against you and viewing yourself as a victim.

The second part is more important, to me at least.

So, since we’ll never have more then we can handle, we can take comfort in knowing that we can overcome and grow and learn from everything over the course of our lives. But what if I want more out of life? What if I want more money, more happiness? What if I want more friendships and better relationships? A bigger house or a second and third house?

Well, I’d have to prove that I can handle what I have right now. Only then will I receive more.

I heard someone use the example of a father and son getting ice cream. The young child ordered a single scoop cone. When it was handed to him he started licking his ice cream, and turning the cone sideways, and eventually the ice cream fell off the cone onto the floor.

Naturally, his father ordered him another ice cream. As he was ordering though, his son saw someone walk away with a DOUBLE scoop cone and he started to beg his father for that, instead.

Now, if you were in his position would you give him the double scoop? Of course not! The kid can’t handle a single scoop yet. It’s more realistic to give him a cup of ice cream, or to hold the cone for him. Once he’s proven he can handle that – then he can have more.

This kind of story is common in our lives. Often, we find ourselves begging and pleading for more in life – be it money, or happiness, or a bigger house, or more children, or more credit cards, or a promotion – yet we can barely keep our heads above water in our current situation.

Take some time to think about what you want more of, or what you’re not satisfied with, and consider this. I know it’s helped me a great deal to look at my experiences from this perspective. Rather then get upset, I did a gut check and realized that in many cases, I’m asking for a triple scoop on a cone with fudge while I’m holding a small cup of ice cream that’s leaking all over my shoes…

If you want more, then GREAT! Keep that thought in your mind. If we didn’t strive for more, we would lead stagnant lives and that’s no fun. Just realize that you need to focus on your current situation and prove that you can handle what you have. As soon as you do that, more of whatever it is you want will naturally come flowing your way, and there’s no limit!

We live in a world of abundance. There’s plenty of everything for everyone. Just focus on handling a single scoop, first!

Adel M Refai

Adel is a marketer and a marketing coach. He is involved with a network marketing company, as well as running a marketing training company – teaching others how to market their businesses for profit; teaching the importance of combining a system with the correct mindset for success.

You can reach Adel at mailto:Adel@DelsTeam.com Adel@DelsTeam.com or 609-947-4881

You can also visit his website at DelsTeam.com DelsTeam.com to view his current list of discounted communications services.