“Having an abundance mentality is believing that you are created as more than enough, you have more than enough, and more than enough is coming to you in the future.”- Scott Epp.
There isn’t a better time than NOW to adopt a mindset of abundance. We’re in the midst of a raging pandemic, and it almost feels like the world is coming to an end. How can one set their mindset in a situation like this?
It all comes down to our mindset. The great Stoic philosopher, Marcus Aurelius said- “You have power over your mind- not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
Once we adopt an life of abundance mindset that compels us to see the world through the lens of gratitude, hope, and plentitude for all-we will no longer be slaves to our fear of the future or unknown.
What is an abundance mindset?
An abundance mindset is a growth mindset that fosters self-awareness of endless possibilities, no matter how dark the circumstance of life that we’re dealing with is.
Our mindset and our thoughts are what make us who we are. An abundance mindset focuses on opportunity for growth, happiness, and hope despite the external circumstances.
Ultimately, fulfilment depends a lot upon one’s appreciation for life and their attitude in facing life’s everyday challenges. This is because our way of looking at things stems more from our perception of life than life or reality itself.
In other words, our mental resource beats all external resources, the former being the one that ultimately defines our personal worth, our personal development, success, better physical health and overall well-being.
One can put it down to the proverb- “It rests on the perceiver to see the glass half empty, or half full.”
What is a scarcity mindset?
Before we move on to the practices that we can adopt in order to foster an abundant mindset, we must first understand what keeps us from naturally leaning towards one.
The problem lies in our ‘scarcity mindset‘- a way of seeing and living life common to the majority of us.
Have you ever observed your thought patterns? Are your thoughts more focused on negative possibilities, fear, insecurities, and apprehensions?- or do they lean more towards optimism, belief, and an innate conviction that things are bound to work out for you this way or that?
The former is what we call a scarcity mindset. People with mindset of scarcity often limit their potential to create endless possibilities because they are so preoccupied with what they lack rather than what they already have.
Such people cannot be active creators of their reality because they choose to wait for things to work out for them instead of being the ones who consciously create new opportunities for themselves.
“Most people are deeply scripted in what I call the Scarcity Mentality. They see life as having only so much, as though there were only one pie out there. And if someone were to get a big piece of pie, it would mean less for everyone else.” – Stephen Covey
This is an extract from Covey’s world-renowned book- “11 Habits of Highly Effective People.’ And you’ve guessed it right, the concept of abundance mindset appears in those 11 habits!
If we were to cultivate a deep sense of security, dignity, and trust within ourselves- fear disappears internally and we wouldn’t fear the success and happiness of others.
By seeing the world as an oyster of abundant opportunities, creativity, and learning- we will soon realize that our feelings of scarcity is the very ‘weed’ responsible for redundancy in our personal growth and enrichment.
5 Tips on Cultivating and Abundance Mentality
Philosophers, teachers, authors, and even money experts across the globe have discussed practical strategies and mindfulness techniques that are conducive to an abundance mindset, and consequently, an abundant life.
Some of the major ones are as follows:
1. Rekindle your Curiosity
Do you know what makes life seem monotonous and humdrum? A lack of the child-like wonder and curiosity that we once possessed!
We forget the BIGGER PICTURE when we lose this sense of openness to life and enthusiasm in trying the new, experiencing a rush of creativity, and a possibility of growth in whatever life throws our way.
Then the world ceases to exist in plain black and white divisions- there is no good or bad- there is only what you make of it. We often fail to see all those shades of grey in between.
○ Gain more exposure
A realistic way to enhance your abundant mindset is by exposing yourself to as many new and engaging experiences as you can.
We live in this nutshell vision of ourselves and what life is supposed to look like for us because we never adopt to growth mindset by making that conscious effort to branch out and discover new avenues.
Studies show that we learn a maximum of 1-2 new things in a year. We need to find ways to increase that number by dragging ourselves out of our comfort zone.
Pick up a new language, take workshop classes on new skills you’ve wanted to acquire, find newer hobbies and passions- there is room for a lot of potential in you that is undiscovered!
2. Exercise your Gratitude Muscle
“Gratitude is an antidote to negative emotions, a neutralizer of envy, hostility, worry, and irritation. It is savoring; it is not taking things for granted; it is present-oriented.” -Sonja Lyubomirsky
People with an abundance mindset have a greater appreciation for things in life, even the ordinary. Especially the ordinary.
We often tend to have a fixed mindset about measuring our worth and success only with increasing numbers or quantities, with the passage of enough time.
We hardly pause to reflect on what is. No wonder we then fall victim to a feeling of scarcity mentality of self-pity, fear, and unhappiness.
A person with an abundance mentality understands that valuing every little achievement and the little comforts or gifts of own life are what make our happiness tenfold.
In other words, if we look at life with the belief that we have enough, then we’ll always have more. But if we think we never have enough and we can always have more, then we’ll always believe that we have less.
○ Keeping a gratitude journal
One can cultivate a positive attitude in life by journaling daily about little reminders that make them feel loved, safe and blessed.
It could be your family, your secure job, nourishing food that you eat, or even a close friend with who you get to share your ups and downs.
By practicing gratitude, we’re prompted to reflect on and feel grateful for the little things we fail to acknowledge and register on a daily basis, the small privileges of life that we take for granted.
One can even focus on small victories like doing self-care and being mindful on a day when you feel low and disappointed. That is a form of success in its own way.
The secret to true abundance is to focus on the small, the big- all of it!
3. Money EQ to tackle Scarcity Mentality
Most people fall prey to a scarcity mindset, especially in terms of their financial success. All of us want a life of abundant wealth and prosperity- but how do we achieve that?
Ken Honda, Japan’s No.1 Finance Coach and Teacher, says that the primary principle we were never taught as important is Money EQ (Emotional Quotient of Wealth).
We’ve all grown up honing our intellectual understanding( IQ) of how to earn and expand our wealth and success. Invest. Work hard. Buy more property—hustle, hustle, hustle.
This knowledge is familiar to us all. Yet why are we still dissatisfied with how much we make? Why do we feel as if we never have much money? And why are we always living in the future?
It seems as if we’re holding onto the sand- money comes slow but goes quick. Even those who earn well are not content. The problem is a lack of abundance mindset when it comes to viewing money as a resource to gain financial freedom.
This is Honda’s definition for money EQ; understanding that money is an infinite free-flowing resource, in abundance for all of us to receive and use as much as we want.
The successful people that Honda found as wealthy, prosperous, and most importantly fulfilled were those that had a higher level of emotional intelligence associated with money and not just practical knowledge.
○ Create a Happy Money Mindset for Abundant Thinking
We all know the practical ways to earn money- but do we own a positive mindset when it comes to viewing or using that money?
Zen Millionaire Ken Honda’s bestselling book- ‘Happy Money‘ gives away the secret to growing an abundance mindset surrounding money.
You have to be happy with your life and enjoy the experiences that it offers first; without this, you will never be happy- with or without money.
Money satisfaction comes from truly celebrating the experiences that money can give us- big or small.
This mentality largely forms our perception and mindset around money– whether we view money as one of the limited resources or consider there are limited opportunities to earn. Mostly if we view it in a positive light or do we have negative thoughts around it? Does it make us feel grateful or anxious? Do we have attitude of gratitude for money, or do we fear it? Do we value money over precious time or other way around?
Having an abundance mindset for money means we know that it isn’t our money that’s in the driver’s seat-it’s us.
Even if we lose money, we can always make more. There isn’t a scarcity of money around us- the scarcity is in the way we choose to live our lives.
4. Abundance Mindset for Relationship Satisfaction
Professional success and financial security isn’t the only area where we need to grow an abundance mentality.
Love, self-care, relationship success and the ability to feel secure without constant approval from others and external validation is another very important part of our lives.
People who have an abundant mentality when it comes to giving and taking care of themselves are those who can then give and receive as freely with others as well.
How abundantly do you love yourself? How much do you enjoy your own company? The place of scarcity mindset stems from feelings of insecurity and even guilt in loving oneself.
If we can’t love ourselves freely, how can we find abundance in a relationship with another person?
○ Nurture Self-Love and Compassion
The initial step to creating an abundance mindset in this area is to feel deserving and worthy of all the love in this world. Avoid negative self-talk, work on your self-esteem and make sure that the voice in your head is your biggest cheerleader.
A scarcity mentality makes you focus more on others’ voices and opinions of you, the number of people who like you, etc.- more than what you think of yourself. This will not provide positive outcomes which is associated with a growth mindset.
The way you treat yourself will set the tone for others to treat you the same. This holds true for all relationships- both personal and professional. We attract what we embody.
5. Harness an Abundance Mindset with power of your Thoughts
When your thought patterns focus on abundance- more of the good things over the bad, your subconscious mind automatically gets wired to seek out the best in everyone and everything.
We need to focus more on the abundance of our potential- our creative intelligence, passion for living, capacity to create, share and grow with others.
This also includes our ability to participate in all kinds of learning experiences, i.e. to be a true student of life, understanding that we’re surrounded with limitless opportunities and room for more growth and exposure.
‘With thoughts of deep personal worth and security, an abundance mindset flows out effortlessly. It is the paradigm that there is already a lot out there, which is enough to spare for everyone.
This results in sharing of prestige, recognition, profits, of decision making.
It opens possibilities, options, alternatives, and creativity.’
○ Create an abundant life with Synergy
One of the main reason why we fail to have a proactive approach fueled by abundant thinking is because we underestimate teamwork and abundance therein.
This is known as synergy; the sum value of any combined efforts and collaborations will always be more than its parts.
What this means is that in our quest for abundance- we need to look beyond ourselves. Understanding and appreciating others’ qualities and differences in opinion can bring more to the table.
Varied perspectives create more versatile energy to uncover more possibilities of innovation and creativity. An abundance mindset recognizes this truth.
Not only does this mean more alternatives and better prospects for both personal and shared growth- but also transformation and expansion from the old to the new.
In creating abundance for yourself, we often think that sharing with others might take away from our “happiness pie”, but co-creating in fact does just the opposite.
“When people are genuinely happy at the successes of others, the pie gets larger.” – Stephen R. Covey
Abundance Mindset at a quick glance
An abundance mindset does not have to come naturally to you, but you can and should always take conscious steps to create and strengthen it. By making a note of all our irrational fears and worries that foster a scarcity mentality in us, we can slowly take deliberate action to break those thought patterns and habits.
Scarcity thoughts are our mind’s natural reaction to the adversities of life. However, we must look at uncertainty with a different perspective- considering all possibilities of any prevailing circumstance.
By training human brain to think in this way, we begin to view relationships, money, success, growth, and happiness in a new light altogether! This change can be profound.
So live with an open mind and grateful heart, embracing change, celebrating every achievement, digging up opportunities, and giving as willingly as you take. Abundance grows with sharing.
