Image Credit: Nellia Kurme
Scarcity Mindset – There’s Not Enough for Me
It was a beautiful summer day. The sun was streaming into the kitchen window. The hydrangeas nestled in their beautiful crystal vase on the counter were catching just the right amount of light. Marti, the youngest daughter of my neighbor, and the youngest of five older siblings, was about five years old. She was known to run to my doorstep and come right in to say hello.
On this particular day, I decided to make soft-baked cookies as a treat for her. As we cut cookies from the premade roll and placed them on the pan, Marti looked on in wide-eyed wonder and wore a huge grin. When they were done and cooled, I sat them on the table in front of her and invited her to take some.
Immediately, she began to grab the cookies by the handful, stuffing them into her mouth so quickly that she became red-faced and teary-eyed. I looked at her in astonishment and said, “Marti, you don’t have to eat so fast!” She replied with her mouth stuffed, “There won’t be any left!” I encouraged her that there were plenty of cookies, but she kept yelling, “There won’t be any left!”
At that moment, I realized that she was conditioned by her home environment, as the youngest among five older siblings, that if she didn’t get as many cookies as possible now, there wouldn’t be any left later.
Sadly, some people live their entire lives like that. Some are conditioned that, no matter how much there is, there won’t be any left. Even with a table of plenty set before them, they believe there’s not enough to go around. With a plate prepared just for them, they believe that someone else will take it and they’ll be left with nothing.
We often see this manifest in business in different ways. Some feel that if they don’t get this project lead, there won’t be any projects to come. If they’re not chosen to pitch to this client, another client may never appear. If they aren’t chosen for this position, another position may never come. With clear and almost boundless growth and expansion before them, they believe that if it’s not now, it’s never.
Some employ a by-any-means-necessary mentality of getting the thing that they think will never come again. They conspire, lie, steal, sabotage, plot, and plan all sorts of evil to grasp what they believe is unattainable otherwise. One of the saddest scenarios is when people are underhanded in vying for something they want- not realizing that the thing that they are conspiring for is already planned for them.
The abundance mindset trusts firmly in the concept “what is meant for me, is for me.”
No one can steal it, and no one can take it.
It’s mine and it will come at just the right time.
The abundance mindset works just the opposite. People with the abundance mindset know that there is more than enough. Those operating in the abundance mindset walk securely knowing that, at the right place, and the right time, the perfect opportunity is prepared just for them. A person established in the abundance mindset knows that they don’t have to tear another down to get ahead. They know that the table is set, their place is marked, their plate is ready, and it’s prepared just for them. They understand that “no” only means not now. “No” means there is something better waiting. “No” means, the perfect opportunity is being prepared just for them.
The abundance mindset trusts firmly in the concept “what is meant for me, is for me.” No one can steal it, and no one can take it. It’s mine and it will come at just the right time.
The story goes on to tell how, in spite of the evil carried out against him, Joseph rose to power in the Egyptian government and served as the redeemer of his brothers, their nation and their people, just as his dreams foretold.
Joseph’s brothers, needless to say, were not operating in the abundace mindset. The abundance mindset begins by looking within. It is a paradigm that is cultivated internally with prayerful reflection. Here are steps to set you on your path.
I love the story of Joseph as told in Andrew Lloyd Weber’s musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Joseph was envied, plotted against, thrown into a well and sold by his older brothers who envied him for his beautiful robe. They were even more envious of his dream that he would someday become a great leader in government, rising above them all. Instead of enjoying the coats that were prepared for them, celebrating Joseph for what was possible for him and seeking to find the path to their own purpose, they envied what was prepared for Joseph and despised him and the dream that foretold his bright future.
1. Define Your Purpose
Having a well-defined direction in life is essential for walking in the abundance mindset. Developing an effective personal and professional mission and vision statement are starting point. Take time to brainstorm, who you are, what you love, what excites you and use these things to help you formulate your These critical pieces to shift your paradigm.
2. Chart Your Course
Based on your mission and vision statement, list steps to align your activities with who you are and what you’re called to do. Assess where you are and where you want to be and chart a course to bridge the gap. Creating vision boards and mind mapping are a great place to start. Use these tools to set goals and chart your coarse to achieving all that you were meant to achieve.
Good ideas that take you off the path to your purpose aren’t good ideas at all.
3. Run Your Race
Run your race and your race only- and most importantly, stay in your lane. Only do what is mission essential. Life will present you with opportunities that look good, however, those “good” opportunities can quickly lead you off course. Realize that what would be great for someone else could lead you drastically in the wrong direction. Be able to distinguish and discern the good thing that is meant for you and the good thing that is meant for another. Remember: Good ideas that take you off the path to your purpose aren’t good ideas at all.
4. Compete Only With Yourself
I have made it a way of life to only compete with myself. I have no competitors, there is no one that I’m trying to outdo. I’m either learning from or imparting to others- most times, both simultaneously, but I never compete.
Some people are competitive by nature and will compete to win anything. There is a time and place for that. However, achieving the abundance mindset has little to do with besting another person, it’s about the great satisfaction that comes with creating and beating your own personal best record. It’s about finding, achieving, and gaining what was meant for you and you alone. Let others inspire you, but only compete with yourself.
5. Celebrate Your Wins- and the Wins of Others
Walking in the abundance mindset means knowing when you have reached a benchmark, met a goal, and achieved a dream. Regardless of how big or small, celebrate. I often celebrate finishing my editorial calendar for the month or having updates to the website finalized. Those little things are as important to me as being asked to speak at a conference or hired to consult on a project. I also like to celebrate the wins of the people around me. Every step taken in alignment with their goals is leading them into purpose. That’s something to celebrate!
Developing the abundance mindset means turning inward in the purest and most productive way possible. It means focusing on who you are, who you are created to be, and aligning your activities with what you are created to do. It means charting your course, running your race and staying “on purpose.”
The abundance mindset means that you don’t have to tear others down to build yourself up. Instead, you encourage and celebrate your victories and the victories of others along the way- not once, but as a way of life. The abundance mindset allows you to rest secure that every yes, every no and everything in between is working for your good. The abundance mindset knows that there is always infinitely more than enough and that each step in alignment with purpose is leading you to the place that was promised by The Creator in your own technicolor dream.
-Venesulia
