RSS
Home
Scarcity vs. Abundance
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Abundance
As people, we tend to think in terms of what we have directly in front of us and the way things are right now. Which makes sense, our brains operate with a framework of how things are and how things have been to predict how things will be. That's just what brains do, they try to find reason, patterns, and predictability in everything.
This can backfire on us, however. Yes, our brains can betray us, if we let them.
For example, if you're struggling financially, you will tend to think that things will continue as such. If an unexpected expense comes up or a loss of income is experienced (a new baby, loss of job, etc.), it will cause you stress and concern because, "I don't have much money and there's no way I can afford it." That is your currently reality speaking. It's telling you that you have X amount of money in savings, that you make X amount of money per week or month, neither of which are likely to change, and neither of which allow for the new, unexpected expense. In other words, you're current and recent reality are telling you that things will continue the same.
But why does that have to be the case? Why can't things change quickly? As per this example, who says we can't experience a dramatic change in our income in a short period of time?
Let's simplify our example so I can make my point more easily. If you have $100 in your pocket, and an unexpected expense comes up that will cost you $40, that's a pretty big chunk, relatively speaking. So if this is how you think about money, this type of situation would certainly be a cause for stress and concern.
But what if we thought of it in a different way... What if we changed the perspective a little bit... What if we adjusted the "relatively speaking" part.
Think about this... How much is $40 relative to how much money is out there, floating around, exchanging hands all day and all night, all around the world? To say it's just a drop in the bucket would be an overstatement.
When you put it that way, now you can start thinking in terms of possibilities, instead of the way things are and have been. There's so much money out there, and so many different ways to earn it, and earn it quickly. That's where your focus should be, not on "Oh my god, I only have $100 and I just had to spend $40 of it. What am I gonna do, how am I gonna survive?"
You get what you focus on. So if you're situation today is a situation of Scarcity, and that's where you're head stays, then that's how your life will stay.
But instead, if you focus on how things could be, and how quickly things can change, then you stand a much better chance of bringing Abundance into your life.
What was true yesterday and today, doesn't have to be true tomorrow.
Let's change the example slightly. Let's say you have $100 in your pocket, and you make $100 an hour every hour of every day. Now how do you feel about having to spend that $40? No big deal, right? You make $2400 a day, every day, what's $40?
See the difference in mentality? The key is that you can't wait until you're in a situation of Abundance to start having a mentality of Abundance, because it will never come. The mentality comes first. How you think determines what you do, which determines your results. Mentality is the seed.
I know some of you are thinking, "What about me though, I'm a single parent with two kids, I work two jobs to keep a roof over mine and my kids heads and to keep food over my head. Every dollar counts!"
I can certainly understand and sympathize with your situation. But what I can tell you is that your thoughts and beliefs got you where you are today, it's up to you to change those thoughts in order to change your results. If you're mentality remains the same, you're results are likely to stay the same as well.
Most people learn how to think and what to believe from their parents, they don't really have a choice. Just as they didn't have a choice in what language they were brought up with. But what you have to realize is, at some point along the way, you have a choice to change those thoughts and beliefs. You have the ability to analyze your situation and results, and realize that if you want something different, you have to start thinking differently. Just the same as, at some point along the way, you realize that you can choose to learn a different language.
Let me restate that paragraph a little differently... Arnold Schwarzenegger came to the United States with less than $100 in his pocket. His current estimated net worth is $100-200 million. He could barely speak English and was dead broke, but he had the thoughts of a wealthy person, and so it became.
When you catch yourself saying or thinking thoughts such as, "I can't afford it," or "It's too expensive," ask yourself if those are thoughts coming from Abundance or Scarcity. The next time you catch yourself arguing with the cashier at the grocery store because your box of cereal was supposed to be on sale... Abundance or Scarcity?
Someone with a mentality of Abundance will think of that dollar relative to how much money is out there and available to anyone who organizes a plan to earn it, and won't let it ruin their day... "It's just a dollar, there's plenty of them out there."
Related Articles:
Comments
