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Have you ever known someone who seems to always land on their feet? It doesn’t matter what they do or don’t do, they somehow always manage to end up coming out on top? Yep, me too! It’s likely that this person has an ‘abundance mindset’.
Most people don’t think about their mindset in an abundance or scarcity kind of way. We’ve all heard of a negative or positive mindset, and maybe even a growth or fixed mindset, but we don’t often expand our thinking past that.
So, what is an abundance versus scarcity mindset, and what’s the impact?
An abundance mindset is a concept where a person believes there are enough resources and successes to share with others versus a scarcity mindset where a person believes that there isn’t enough for everyone and there’s always a winner and a loser.
Scarcity mindsets cause stress and tension in your body and in your life as you go into situations thinking that there must be a winner and a loser, so you’re always in fight or flight mode, or attack mode believing that you have to win. You’re more likely to feel frustrated, impatient, anxious, overwhelmed and also powerless, with thoughts of ‘I have no choice’. It feels like you are dealt the hand you have, and you have little influence over what comes to you.
With an abundance mindset, you feel like you’re in the driver’s seat of your life. You’re more likely to be relaxed and feeling empowered as you know you can direct your life in the way you want it to go. You’re adaptable to changes as they come along, and you know you have a choice in what you decide to do and whether you accept what is being offered your way.
When you’re thinking abundantly, you’re more likely to set goals and actively work towards them and you’re also more likely to bounce back after setbacks more easily because you know you there will always be another chance. That person that always seems to end up on top of the world – they’ve definitely had their setbacks, but they didn’t let themselves wallow there; they chose to think abundantly and let go of what didn’t work, and moved onto the next thing they could try.
An abundance mindset comes more easily to some people over others, and generally that’s due to your belief system, but we’ll go into that another day.
So, in the meantime, what are some ways to start developing your abundance mindset?
1. Power of Thought
The most important thing you can do is recognise and believe in the power of your thoughts. We have a lot of thoughts that go through our minds every day, most of them are habitual, and very often they are negative. Negative thoughts help to keep the body alert and looking for danger – which was helpful when we were trying to escape the grip of a lion chases us hundreds of years ago – but now we no longer have that same need, and we have to retrain our brain to think positively and abundantly.
2. Gratitude
Being grateful for what you already have is a sure way to help you become more abundant. We usually take so many things for granted; clean air to breathe and water to drink; food on the table at dinner; clothes that keep us warm, a comfy bed and a roof over our heads to shelter us at night; friends and family around us; the gift of education; access to healthcare etc. We often look at what we don’t have, e.g. I really want that BMW X4, but I only have this Mazda CX5 ☹, I really want to live close to the beach, but my home is so far away etc. and what this does is enhance our scarcity mentality. We’re focusing on the things we don’t have and so we feel lack, frustration, even jealousy of the people that do have those things.
Take a few minutes now to think thoughts of lack. Think of all the things you really want, that others have got but you don’t. See what sensations come up in your body. Are you feeling tense, tight, frustrated, annoyed? Now do the same thing but think of all the great things you do already have in your life and once again see how your body and mind feel. Can you feel your body relaxing, your breathing become more even, and maybe even a smile starting to curl onto your lips? It’s easy to see how gratitude affects your mindset. Try keeping a gratitude journal to write down things you are grateful for and you’ll start to notice, the more you’re grateful for the things you already have, the more you’ll have to be grateful for.
3. Use Positive Affirmations
Affirmations are basically anything we say to ourselves and can be either positive or negative. They reinforce to our subconscious our beliefs and thoughts of the world. Start noticing what you’re saying to yourself and whether it’s helping or hindering you and then change it into something more positive. Think of some things that have been worrying you; it could be some bills you’ve got coming up, an issue with a friend or relative, or something going on at work. Take notice of the words that come to mind when you think of that situation. I’m guessing they’re pretty negative. Start changing the words to something more positive; ‘I can handle it’, ‘I’ve got this’, ‘this situation is getting better’ etc. and really put some effort into saying these to yourself every time you think of that situation. You’ll start to see how you calm your mind and body down, and then more creative solutions come to you when you’re less stressed and single focussed.
Changing how you view situations and the world doesn’t happen overnight, and it isn’t always easy, but it is definitely worth it.
I’d love to hear how you go with these actions and whether you’ve got any questions.
Also, in my work as a mindset coach, I help you delve into your beliefs and see what’s holding you back from attracting the abundance you want into your life and transform your abundance mindset. Send me an enquiry if you’re interested to know how we can work together, because with the right support in place, it’s much easier to recognise and change the thought patterns towards an abundance mindset.