You've worked so hard to support yourself. You've learned to set boundaries, tried to find your voice, and show up for yourself in ways that once felt impossible. What I see reflected through my client collective, is there’s limited art of receiving happening. That all that beautiful self-support work has only opened you up to about 30% of what's actually available to you. The other 70%? That's sitting on the other side of a door you've kept firmly closed. The door to receiving.
As we step into 2026, the “Year of Self-Support”, the universe is asking you to do something that might feel uncomfortable, vulnerable, even scary. It’s saying ‘open your hands and let life give to you’. It’s saying this because your earthy self is a giver with feelings and needs. And your soul self knows that true self-support isn't about doing everything alone. It's about knowing your earthy self well enough to recognise what you need and actually allowing it to come to you. Which means it’s time to practice the art of receiving.
Why You Shut the Door to the Art of Receiving
Somewhere along the way, you learned that receiving meant owing someone something. That accepting help made you a burden. That good things had to be earned through hard work and sacrifice. These beliefs got packed into your backpack when you were little, and you've been carrying them ever since. So, you became hyper-independent. Your mind and thoughts say "I've got me. I don't need anyone else." It felt empowering, safe even. But what you were actually doing was closing the door to receiving because you didn't trust what might come through. Nor did you trust that you deserved it. And you definitely didn't trust that you could receive without strings attached.
What's happening energetically though is this... Imagine the universe sitting at your soul table, watching all these beautiful opportunities, support, abundance, gifts, rest, praise, and experiences trying to reach you. But the door is shut. You're so busy doing everything yourself, that there's no space for life to support you. That's exhausting. And it’s limiting. It’s the definition of living at 30% when 100% is available to you.
Receiving Isn't What You Think It Is
When most people think about receiving, they imagine being handed something they don't want and having to accept it anyway. Like that awful Christmas present you have to smile about and pretend to love. No wonder you shut that door! But receiving is actually like walking through a beautiful market on a sunny day. You're meandering through, and you get to stop at exactly what calls to you. The soft cashmere blanket. The sound bowl that makes your heart sing. The fresh cookies that smell like home.
You get to choose what you receive. The universe isn't going to force things on you. You still get a say. When an opportunity shows up like a relationship, a job, a friendship, a gift, money; you get to decide if you want to receive it fully, partially, or not at all. When you open the door to receiving, you're not giving up your power. You're actually claiming more of it.
The Difference Between Receiving and Owing
This part is really important. Receiving and owing are not the same thing. But for so many of us, they got tangled up together. When someone says, "You should be grateful," what they're really saying is, "You owe me something now."
Well, that's not receiving. That's a transaction. True receiving has no strings attached. When you receive from the universe, from life, from people who genuinely want to support you, there's no debt. There's no owing. There's just the experience of being supported, of being held, of being given to because you're here having your Earth experience.
This is the belief you need to unpack: “I don't have to earn good things.” You're allowed to receive just because you exist. Not because you worked hard enough. Not because you suffered enough. Just because you're here. That's it.
Opening Your Hands to Receive
So how do you actually do this? Start with awareness. Notice in that very moment when someone offers you help and your immediate response is, "No, I'm fine." Pay attention to when an opportunity shows up and you immediately think, "I don't deserve that." These are all signs that your door to receiving is closed. Check in with yourself. When something is offered to you, pause. Put your hand on your heart and ask, "How does this feel?" Not "Do I deserve this?" Not "What will I owe?" Just "How does this feel?" If it feels good, safe, aligned then let it in.
Practice receiving small things:
- Let someone buy you a coffee,
- Accept a compliment without deflecting,
- Allow a friend to help you with something you could technically do yourself.
These small acts train your nervous system that it's safe to let support in. Reframe asking for help. It's not a sign of weakness or burden. It's an invitation for someone else to experience the joy of giving. When you ask for help, you're actually giving someone the gift of being needed, of contributing, of purpose and of mattering.
What Happens When You Open the Door
When you truly open your ability to receive, life flows. You're no longer operating from that exhausting 30% of self-support. You're opening up to the full 100% of what life wants to give you. You start experiencing abundance. Not just financial, but abundance of time, energy, joy, connection, opportunities, experiences. You start noticing synchronicities. Those beautiful moments when exactly what you needed shows up, at exactly the right time. Then you can start building teams with people instead of doing everything alone.
And the beautiful paradox is, is that when you open your ability to receive, you actually become better at supporting yourself. Because now you're not just relying on your own limited resources. You're allowing life to support you, which gives you more energy and clarity, and more capacity to show up for yourself in the ways that matter.
Your Invitation to Receive
Because 2026 is the Year of Self-Support and if you're not ready to open the door to receiving, then life will create situations that make you. Not as punishment, but as invitation. As acts of loving service. These aren't life bombs. In fact, we could call them love bumps instead.
They're life's way of saying, "Hey, you're ready for this next level." And as we step into 2026 - a one year in numerology, the year of the horse in Chinese zodiac, you're being given a clean slate. The heaviness of 2025's transformation and endings is behind you. Now it's time to go explore with curiosity, not pressure. It's a time to trust that life has you. It's time to open your hands and let the good things in.
Start by asking yourself:
- Where have I closed the door to receiving?
- What would it feel like to let life support me?
- What small thing could I receive today?
And remember, receiving isn't about giving up your power or becoming dependent on others. It's about recognizing that you're part of something bigger, that you're allowed to be held by life, and that true self-support includes opening yourself up to all the ways the universe wants to support you.
*If you're exhausted from operating at 30% while the other 70% sits locked behind a door you've kept firmly closed, the retreat is where you finally learn to open it. Over three transformative days, you'll discover what it truly means to receive. Not as weakness, but as the missing piece of self-support you've been searching for.
You'll leave with your being able to identify exactly where you've shut the door and how to open it again, plus practical tools to let life support you without guilt or the feeling of ‘owing’. This isn't about becoming dependent. It's about finally accessing the full 100% of what's available to you. Because true self-support isn't doing everything alone. It's knowing yourself well enough to recognise what you need and actually allowing yourself to have it.
This is the second article in a series of 3 to welcome in the New Year. You can reference the other 2 here:
- 1: The Snake, The Horse, and The Fresh Start: What 2026 Really Means for You
- 2: The Art of Receiving: Why Opening This Door is Life Changing in 2026
- 3: The Burden Belief: Why You're Still Climbing the Wrong Ladder