I can’t afford it. 

I need more time. 

I’ll never find anybody.

I’m never going to get ahead. 

Someone else is already doing it, so there’s no point in me trying. 

What do all these comments have in common? 

Scarcity.

Scarcity is simply feeling that we have finite resources; a limited amount of something – time, money, love, success, and even in COVID times – toilet paper. 

Scarcity says there is not enough and that we better hurry and get what is “ours” before it runs out – or before someone gets there first. If they get there first, we suffer. They win. We lose. Scarcity is competitive and it breeds selfishness.

But scarcity is rooted in survival, so we can’t get mad at our brain for feeling scarce. It really does think that it is doing us a favour by looking out for us and taking care of us. Except, for the most part, we don’t need that protection anymore. 

In contrast, a mindset that creates gratitude and generosity is one of  abundance. Abundance is “a very large quantity of something”. It is an overflow –  of having plenty of the “good things in life”. 

An abundance mindset is one that comes from a place of believing we will never run out. We can always create, have, make more. There is no shortage.   We can celebrate our success and someone else’s because it does not lessen our chances at anything. We can love more, share more, give more, because there is always more where that came from.

So, do you consider yourself having an abundance mindset or one of scarcity? Well, if you are like me, you’ll probably have some scarcity in  some areas. That’s ok. But now that you are aware, then perhaps you can help guide your mind to start looking for the “good things” in your life. 

If you need some help doing that, we are there to support you!