Are You Living a Life of Abundance or Scarcity?

Do you feel there is plenty to go around or do you believe there is a limited amount out there and everyone needs to compete for it?

Do you believe opportunities are few and far between or do you think life is filled with opportunities that create ever new opportunities?

Do you enjoy sharing or do you do it mainly out of obligation?

Do you enjoy helping others reach success or do you feel this may diminish your own success?

Do you share credit and feel genuinely happy for the success of other people or do you feel jealousy and inadequacy when faced with the success of others?

Do you feel that loved ones do not give you enough of their time or are you thankful for the time that they do give you?

Do you openly share in decision-making or do you feel defensive about making your own decisions?

Ultimately, do you live with a Scarcity Mentality or an Abundance Mentality?

People who live with a Scarcity Mentality believe that there is a lack in life and that opportunities are rare. With this view, they believe they only have one shot at chances and if they stumble, they feel like complete failures. Often, they take things too seriously and believe if they fail all hell will break loose (which it won’t, just in case you’re wondering). They believe risks are high and that they have to be vigilant to get by.  They may come across as needy and nervous in relationships instead of relaxed. They feel protective over what they have (belongings, relationships, time) and are hesitant to share. This puts them on constant guard and can be quite difficult, as it produces a great deal of anxiety, stress, and fear.

Alternatively, people living from a place of Abundance have a deep inner sense of worth and security. They fundamentally believe that there is plenty in this world to go around.  When faced with adversity, an abundance mentality believes there are always new opportunities ahead. This takes the pressure off and probably allows them to improve their performance.

Building off of my Karma post, I am noticing that scarcity breeds more scarcity. If you approach situations with a scarcity mentality, you will often be met with a scarcity response. You see this often in pursuer/avoider relationships (either friendly or romantic).  The pursuer comes from a place of scarcity and complains they never get enough of their friend/lover’s time and attention. “I’m always the one calling you and you never make time for me!” The avoider often reacts with a Scarcity Mentality by feeling protective of their limited attention/love/time that the other person is trying to get. “Don’t try to take my limited time from me! I already give you so much and I only have so much to give!”

This doesn’t sound like a fun place for either person. How can it be turned around? Imagine if one person came from a place of abundance, would this breed more abundance? Let’s take the same example.  Imagine if the ‘pursuer’ approached it from a place of abundance “I enjoy spending time with you and I look forward to an opportunity to hang out and I trust that it will happen.”  In this circumstance, the ‘avoider’ would likely feel less pressure and be able to respond with an abundance mentality. “I enjoy spending time with you too and I look forward to the space opening up so we can hang out again soon.”  

What if your starting place is scarcity? Can abundance trump scarcity? I feel like someone living with a scarcity mentality would need to be shown abundance over and over before their mindset would begin to change. But I do believe it can happen. For example, if I arrive to a picnic with my own lunch and don’t intend to share (because I believe it is limited and I need to keep it all to myself), I will quickly change my attitude if someone shares with me. Suddenly, my mindframe shifts from seeing my small and limited lunch to seeing an abundance of food shared amongst friends.  Sharing often breeds more sharing! Magic. 

One question still begs to be asked: Can Abundance Mentality lead to destruction? Isn’t our world’s history littered with examples of this mentality causing multiple destructions (such as wiping out sea otter populations or forests)?  I pondered this for a long while. At first, I believed the answer lied in finding a Golden Mean  between a Scarcity and Abundance Mentality but then I dug a bit deeper. Perhaps the fur traders of our past were actually living with a Scarcity Mentality and believed that life had only so much to go around and they had to compete to get a big piece of it. In doing so, they depleted sea otter populations faster than the populations could replenish themselves. Perhaps, then, the magic balance is living your life with an Abundance Mentality while respecting the right of every being to live their own lives of abundance.

How can you foster an Abundance Mentality? Here is a summary of tips from another website:

1.           Check in with yourself and notice when you are showing symptoms of a scarcity mentality.
2.           Focus on abundance, not on lack. If you lack a comfortable home, don’t focus on this. Instead, focus on the possibilities of opportunities to create a comfortable home.
3.           Appreciate. This is a powerful tool that goes a long way. Before you fall asleep every night, tell your pillow, your journal, or your partner what you appreciated in your day.  You can also try this when you’re in a bad mood and watch the affects as your mood lifts.
4.           Surround yourself with people who have an abundance mentality. It’s simple and effective. While you’re at it, cut our sources of the scarcity mentality (such as TV and media – especially the news).
5.           Share. Even when you don’t feel you have enough, share. This goes a long way to help you feel you are living a life of abundance.
6.           Create win-win situations. Shift from a win-lose to a win-win attitude. For example, instead of winning an argument, try to reach a consensus that you both can be happy with. Instead of competing, collaborate.
7.           Make Reminders. It’s easy to slip back into old mental habits so set yourself up to succeed by using reminders (notes, bracelets, quotes) that will remind you of your new abundance mentality.
8.           When you face your biggest loss, find the greatest opportunity that it may be hiding.