In this personal development monologue, Raele Altano explains how living in a constant state of survival or over‑functioning limits one’s ability to receive good things. She defines "openness to receiving" as allowing positive experiences to arrive simply because you exist, without having to prove your worth, and emphasizes that expressing genuine gratitude when you do receive signals the universe to send more. Raele shares everyday examples—a complimentary workout class, a restaurant that comped the bill, and generous Sephora samples—to illustrate the pattern that openness plus gratitude creates a feedback loop of abundance. She acknowledges the challenges of a hyper‑aware nervous system, especially as a mother, and offers practical steps: become aware of self‑limiting beliefs, intentionally shift mindset, and practice gratitude. The overall message is that by softening one’s approach to life and actively appreciating received gifts, you can transform your outlook and invite more positive experiences.
Chapters
Okay, if you've operated in survival mode your whole life or have over-functioned like me, you need to hear this. This may sound so cliché and so woo-woo, but the more open you are to receiving and the more gratitude you show when you do receive the thing, the more you will unlock this other dimension that you didn't even think was possible. I've been making a more conscious effort over the last several months to be open to receiving. And what does that even mean? For me, it means making myself available for good things without having to prove myself, without having to put all of this extra effort in all the time, just being able to receive good things because I exist. It sounds simple, but when your nervous system has been hyper-aware and has been over-functioning and you've been in fight or flight mode the majority of your life, this is a radical concept. And I'm a mom now, so let's be real, my nervous system is not just stabilized at all times. I'm making an effort to be more intentional and approach life from a softer angle. And then when the good thing does happen, expressing a lot of joy and gratitude so the universe knows to send more of that your way. Here's an example for you. Just the other day, I went to a workout class that I was invited to. It was complimentary, and I told myself, this is amazing, I want more of this. An hour later, me and my friend go to a restaurant to eat. We don't really know the staff like that, but the entire bill was comped. Such a nice surprise, so generous of the restaurant staff. And I told myself, this This is amazing. I'm so thankful. I want more of this. So to the next day, I went to Sephora to go grab a few things, and the salesperson there was so helpful. She gave me a bunch of samples for this oil and fragrance that I wanted to try and introduced me to a new brand that was a much better value than the brand I was initially looking at. None of these are major things, not like someone's dropping a car off in my driveway yet, but if you pay attention, there's a pattern. Just being open to receiving because you exist, not because you have to prove your worth, and showing that gratitude and telling the universe you want more of that thing can be a game changer. So if this sounds like you, just start by being more aware of where you might be holding yourself back or feeling like you don't deserve to receive, and start shifting that with believing that you're able to receive just because you're you. This was kind of long, but I wanted to articulate it in a slow, intentional way with examples to really drive the point home and help you grasp the concept.
