Are you in an abundant or a scarcity mindset?
Our mindset determines our life experience and defines the energy from which we take action
If our state of mind determines the quality of our actions, how powerful is it to learn to notice that state and shift it if necessary? We don’t want to be running on autopilot if it means playing small, blocking opportunities and delaying joy. Do we?
Our mind is not a wild horse! I know it often feels like if it was. It seems like if we were hijacked by our thoughts and get overwhelmed by the destructive stories -we tell ourselves. We believe them as absolute truths and get drowned by the notion of everything we lack, by what doesn’t work, by all the “reasons” that show things won’t change. However, getting to know the mind and learning to tame it is possible for every single one of us. It’s extraordinary to make our mind our friend and unblock its power!
So, let’s begin.
Here’s a practical exercise to start taking charge of your mindset:
Bring to mind how you think, how you feel inside your body, make decisions, relate to others, take action, hold your posture, and feel about yourself when you are on a scarcity mindset. Make a list so that you clearly identify how you operate when in that state.
Now, after finishing with that first list, do the same exercise for when you are in an abundant mindset.
Can you see and feel the difference?
Here’s what I’ve noticed in me, just in case you relate:
Scarcity Mindset
All attention on what I lack; scattered mind; negative/destructive thoughts; cautious dreaming and goal setting; doubtful; fearful (loud voice); contracted in my body; shameful for what I haven’t accomplished; constant anguish; see problems in everything; I procrastinate; I’m dispersed; needy and clinging to what I have; constant need of external validation; victim state: the “world” is against me; I approach things and people from a place of smallness and low self-worth; I eat more and anxiously; compare myself to others; judgmental with myself and others; sense of sacrifice and obligation; feel ugly; I don’t notice beauty around me; risk averse; resisting change; greedy; sense of stuckness and stagnation.
Abundance Mindset
Grateful for what I have; present; positive/useful thoughts; free dreaming and goal setting; trusting; intuitive (calm knowing); expanded; proud or confident about my progress; calm; see solutions; I’m focused; I’m centered; easily let go of what holds me back; higher self-recognition; empowered: ownership over my life experience; I approach things and people from a place of confidence and high self-worth; I eat to nourish my body; see others as inspiration; compassionate with myself and others; sense of choice and motivation; feel pretty and sexy; I notice beauty around me; open to new opportunities; adventurous; generous; sense of possibility and growth.
By getting granular about this you’ll be able to spot faster when you are in scarcity mindset, break the cycle, disidentify from your stream of thought and not buy into the stories you are telling yourself.
So, what do you need to unblock and for this to actually have an effect? As I always mention, there are 3 key elements for transformation:
Awareness: seeing what is no longer useful. You can’t change what you don’t know. Thus, making the mentioned detailed list!
Intention: having the honest intention to let go or make a shift. I assume that if you are still reading it is because you have the intention to gain greater control over your mind.
Action: taking aligned action. However uncomfortable, committed action must be taken in order for there to be transformation. Sustained Small Simple Steps are always the best way to replace the old ways with the new. Every time you notice you are in lack mentality, take a break! Do something to disrupt the thought pattern. For example: change your posture, remember something that makes you laugh, do some breath work, list what you’re grateful for, move your body, note what you do have (without accompanying it with a BUT….), go for a walk and smile to a stranger, set a 20 min timer in your phone to focus on doing just one thing you want to get done…
We all oscillate from lack to abundant mentality but there are times and areas of our lives we are more propense to be in lack mentality. As Dr. Tara Swart mentions in The Source “This is a natural and, to a certain extent, rational response, but when you consider that many of us live in a state of near-constant stress, it’s easy to see how a lack mindset can take over, leaving us stuck in a rut and unable to progress to the next level”
Can you think of the area/s of your life where you are currently operating predominantly from a scarcity mindset? How is this affecting your daily life and the way you are pursuing your dreams?
