Situation: It’s the morning after a sleepless night. Perched on a folding chair while icing her ankle, Eliza gives direction in the search of what she’s determined to find.

Location: Her garage, Any Town, USA.

Antagonist: Justin Case

Eliza: “I know they’re here somewhere… Here, hang on to this. Now move this box on top of that doohickey and climb over this crate. Ok. Great. Now hand me that gadget and move that trunk and just kick that out of the way. Watch out, don’t step on that thingamajig. If you shift all that stuff to the right and slide that cabinet over, they should be tucked in just over there…”

Since an early age, Eliza has been accompanied by the shadowy foreboding of Justin Case. She was introduced to her bothersome buddy around the age of five while clearing out the basement of leftover construction supplies with her dad. “Put all those scraps over in the corner for… Justin Case.”

Eliza wasn’t sure who Justin Case was, as she’d never actually seen him, but since her parents referred to him often, she assumed he was in need of having things saved. Being raised in an environment vibrating with the unending fear of not having enough (often coupled with the anticipation of Justin’s cousin, Some Day) Eliza became conditioned to save, save, save for this intangible stranger who was eventually going to show up and apparently need to rescue them all.

Being raised by parents with a scarcity mindset - although through no fault of their own as they were, at one time, post-war children riddled by rations and controlled distribution - Eliza lived in perpetual fear that she would never have enough. Generational trauma had not escaped her and acquainted her with her childhood counterpart.

“Finish all your dinner, children are starving.”

“Waste not, want not.”

“Save that. Don’t throw that away. I can fix that.”

“Do you know how lucky you are? I didn’t have anything like this when I was growing up. You’d better take good care of it.”

“Do you know how hard your father worked for that? Do you know how many sacrifices your mom has made for you to have that?”

Et cetera. Et cetera.

The meagerness messaging we’ve received in our past can have a tremendous impact on our present environments. If we’ve created an arsenal for Justin Case, we’re foreshadowing that we’ll need what we’ve stored for him and eventually our predictions will come to fruition.

The items we surround ourselves with are our future predictors and they will write the blueprint for our lives whether we want them to or not. I’m confident that if we save every single one of those old t-shirts and towels because, “God forbid we get rid of these and someday we have a flood,” the flood will find us and we will finally have the satisfaction of using all those rags.

When we release patterns of thought that impede our ability to grow confident in ourselves and our potential, we release the part of our ego that is doubtful, scared, and resides in endless fear.

Our egos LOVE to be right. They LOVE to say I told you so. They LOVE to say, “See, I told you you would need that someday. Aren’t you glad you saved it? You’re so smart. Now you don’t have to go spend any more money on it. Everyone should hold on to everything all the time like you. You’re a genius.”

But herein lies the real conundrum, and I invite you to consider this: If we’ve convinced ourselves that we can predict the future with such accuracy when it comes to scarcity, why do we doubt our future selves when it comes to creating a life full of abundance and plentitude?

Justin Case is a roadblock to expansion, freedom, and prosperity. Justin’s grip and relentless chirping is impeding our growth and progress. We’ve been tricked into thinking he’s relevant. His messaging is exhausting: Hang on to that. What if you get fired? What if he leaves you? What if the market crashes? How long until they discover you have no idea what you’re doing? What if. What if. What if.

When we repeatedly save for Justin Case, we’re turning our back on our current needs and not fully living in our present. When we frequently set things aside for Justin Case, we’re sending a message to our future self that states: I do not trust you to provide for yourself. We’re going to need Justin Case because you are not going to be enough.

Ouch.

Now, before we go any further, let me clarify: I’m not advocating for never saving anything. Let’s be realistic. I’m inviting you to consider that our intentions and vibrations pave the path for our future selves.

I’m inviting you to suspend your beliefs about Justin Case and consider a clearer path to where you are now and where you’d like to go during this chapter of your story. If you have a garage full of musical instruments just in case you decide to pick up the drums again but truly just want to spend more time sleeping under the stars but currently don’t have any room for camping equipment, I invite you to consider the personal payoff for trading Justin Case (musical instruments from the past sitting idle collecting dust and regret) for being fully alive now (camping gear inviting adventure, new experiences, and the stargazing you’ve been dreaming of).

If you’ve been cohabitating with Justin Case, I invite you to consider the ultimate cost of your relationship. I invite you to consider if this alliance is serving your higher self. I invite you to consider that if you need something in the future, your future self is capable and will provide. I invite you to take inventory of all of your Justin-Case items. If they’re adding anxiety, guilt, or manifesting a negative premonition, your space is unhealthy. If your current belongings aren’t contributing to contentment, positive messaging, or satisfaction, I invite you to consider making an adjustment to your surroundings.

Be the protagonist of your own story. Reflect on the script you’d like to write for yourself and be selective on how you’d like your journey to unfold. Take stock of your items and decide if they’re helping or hindering you living your full and purposeful life.

Consider the benefits that will accompany saying goodbye to Justin Case. Consider eliciting the intentions that will instead guide and support you in arranging your own personal path of prosperity.

Your future self will thank you.

Eliza: “There they are! My crutches! We found them. Whew! Thank you for your help. I just knew they were here somewhere. I’m so glad I saved them for Justin Case. I just KNEW I’d need them… Some Day.”