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Abundance vs. Scarcity: Choosing the Mindset That Fuels Your Purpose
Are you living in abundance or scarcity? It may make all the difference.
Why Mindset Matters
In this episode of Working Towards Our Purpose we’ll explore the powerful distinction between living with an abundance mindset versus a scarcity mindset. The difference isn’t just about finances or resources, it’s a shift that can reshape every aspect of our lives. Let’s consider, how these mindsets show up in our daily lives, and how we can move intentionally towards more abundance.
Defining Scarcity and Abundance
Scarcity:
In the most simple terms, scarcity is rooted in fear. Scare-city. It’s the persistent belief that there’s never enough; enough money, love, opportunity, ideas, etc. This mindset can often be shaped by family, culture, society and our past experiences. It’s a negative view or outlook that exemplifies a worldview shaped by a feeling of lack.
Abundance:
On the flip side, an abundance mindset is built on trust. It’s the belief that resources, opportunity, and support are available and growing. It’s the positive opposite of scarcity, the glass isn’t half empty—it’s half full. Living with abundance means that there’s enough to share and go around for everyone.
Abundance in Action: Some Personal Stories
Last week for me, scarcity crept in. I thought “Am I going to run out of ideas for this podcast?” That kind of thinking, closes off creativity and opportunity. But everything changed when I remembered the concept of scarcity vs abundance mindset. It all of a sudden reopened new possibilities, breaking me out of the scarcity thought loop, even generating the idea for this episode.
The concept of abundance is something that I first saw in my work in farmers markets. Farmers in the peak of summer would often have an abundance of produce and would offer me some to take home, without asking for anything in return. Simply out of generosity and having more than they could sell they were able to pass the abundance forward.
Another story that comes to mind is, I once got an email from my friend, and previous guest on this podcast, Barb. She described the ever-expanding universe as proof that abundance isn’t just a feel-good notion, but that our universe itself is growing and expanding. For me thinking about the universe expanding and getting bigger gives me comfort that abundance is a law of nature, rather than something we have to be lucky to find.
Thinking back to my leap from corporate America into entrepreneurship, I was motivated by a mentor’s advice to “trust the jump,” even though I didn’t know where I would land. She encouraged me that I would find what I needed to figure things out, and looking back, she was right. This exemplifies how faith in abundance leads to growth. Even when my plan didn’t go as I thought it would, new opportunities emerged, and a I was able to find what I needed to support me and move me forward.
Practical Steps to Cultivate an Abundance Mindset
Transitioning from scarcity to abundance isn’t always easy, but here are four tangible steps to help you get started:
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Surround Yourself with Abundant Thinkers
Seek out people who model abundance. Whether mentors, friends, or people in your community, their perspectives can inspire trust and possibility, helping you break out of old patterns. -
Find Examples and Influences
If you feel your immediate circle isn’t as abundant as you’d like, you can look to books, podcasts, guided meditations, or encouraging talks on YouTube. If you don’t know where to start, I recommend listening to Alan Watts’ lectures on YouTube for motivation and inspiration. -
List the Abundance in Your Life Right Now
Write down where you already experience abundance in your life. This is similar to gratitude journaling, but specifically focuses on abundance. You can look at your friendships, creativity, and if you can’t think of anything abundant at all, something simple that we all have, is the air we breathe. -
Visualization Exercises
Carve out time to practice what abundance feels like in the area where you most feel lacking. Sit down for 10 minutes, close your eyes, and allow yourself to feel the joy of abundance. Envision what it feels like because your brain needs to practice feeling it. This can literally rewire new neural pathways in your brain and, over time, make abundant thinking come easier.
Practicing the Shift
Living abundantly is ongoing work, not a one-time event. We all move between scarcity and abundance mindsets. The practice comes in noticing when we’re stuck and gently redirecting ourselves back to abundance. When you cultivate trust through community, inspiration, reflection, and visualization, you open the doors that scarcity keeps closed.
So, wherever you’re at today, choose to see the abundance in each moment. Start with what you have, trust in what’s to come, and work toward your purpose from a place of abundance.