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How To Live And Work With An Abundance Mindset

Forbes Human Resources Council
POST WRITTEN BY
Anne Iversen

Your mindset can radically affect the course of your life. The way you think can influence how you learn, deal with stress, create success and handle resiliency. One type of mindset that can help us live and work with more positivity is an abundance mindset, in which a person believes there are enough resources and successes to enjoy themselves, as well as share with others.

Those who possess an abundance mindset see opportunity for success to be plentiful. They’re happy, grateful and eager, and they carry the abundance viewpoint into their professional life as a platform to succeed in their careers. An abundance mindset is crucial for leaders to possess in difficult times to avoid stress and burnout. People with an abundance mindset believe that what you focus on grows, and this gives them the ability to foster even more success.

People who base their life on this belief are better equipped to pursue their hopes and dreams without fear of missing an opportunity. They view objections at work as opportunities, rather than roadblocks.

This philosophy contrasts with a scarcity mindset, which is the belief that there’s never enough. This feeling can result in stress, anxiety and fear of missing out or not succeeding. It’s predicated on zero sum: Someone else being successful means others have to be diminished. This mentality that one wins while one loses is the antithesis of an abundance mindset, where all parties can win and enjoy life’s bounties. One mindset can imprison you, while the other can set you free.

Having an abundance mindset can help you flourish in your professional life. Those who possess an abundance mindset make the best of work. They see opportunity in the corporation. Perhaps they take on an additional responsibility to get involved and showcase their leadership skills. Or, maybe they pursue abundance by furthering their education to strive for a higher position. They proactively deal with stressful work situations. Conversely, having a scarcity mindset about your job can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we believe it, we find ways to attract it.

Establish a long-living abundance mindset to attract even more success. Here's how:

1. Focus. Tell yourself to focus on the positive opportunities and options that you have at your job and in life for being happy and successful. This can be reinforced by meditating on these thoughts. Your goal is to take control of your emotional intelligence and how you see the world, so that you can take positive action.

2. Gratitude: Be grateful and thankful when others are kind or help you at work. In return, be kind and friendly, showing respect, manners and civility. Look for opportunities to be sympathetic and generous to colleagues, business connections, family, friends and people you meet. Consider writing down positive thoughts about the abundance that surrounds you. See the positive and do not judge the negative — simply ignore and move on.

3. Community: Volunteer to participate in committees and activities at work. Donate your time, money and items you no longer use. By helping others in need with your personal abundance, you’ll attract the same and will recognize how much exists that can enrich you. It can become an antidote to help you reduce anxiety and stress.

4. Optimism: Look for the good in people and situations. Rather than pinpointing what you might consider a flaw in a difficult supervisor, client or direct report, look for their positive attributes and appreciate them. Strive to be positive in your approach, behaviors and words at work, and it might influence others to become more positive as well.

5. Organization: Declutter your office, home and life. Having a muddled work space can build despair and confusion, while having an orderly work space and home can be uplifting and freeing, allowing you to focus on other, more important issues.

6. We, not me: Colleagues at work want to get their credit and be recognized as well. Be inclusive and team-oriented because it’s better to share credit than to be an “I” person. Converse and engage with others about their lives. You’ll find others responding favorably when you take interest in them. People who are curious ask good questions and practice active listening, which makes for great conversationalists and learners.

7. Win-win: Find win-win situations so that business associates feel they’ve achieved success too. You’ll likely have to deal with the other person again in the future, and nobody wants to feel as though someone else benefited at their expense. Negotiations and dealings are more complete when all parties feel they came out winners. If a stalemate is reached, simply “agree to disagree,” and hold off on making a deal.

8. Role models: Read related material, and spend time learning from others in the corporate world — including your own work environment — who espouse an abundance mindset.

Practice these concepts of an abundance mindset. Take responsibility and action each day, and you’ll recognize a paradigm shift in your assessments. Having an abundance mindset as your own personal platform can help you attract more personal power into your life. You can transform into a different person. Better yet, an abundance mindset will have a direct and positive impact on the success and results you experience in business and in life.

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