Not long ago I have listened to a podcast from Natalie Bacon, where she talked about the topic of a scarcity mindset, and then I realized a few things. The scarcity mindset is not only linked to money, as I always thought and I started to see the patterns of scarcity in my own life. And I can tell you – they were everywhere! Before I explain further, let us just see what the scarcity mindset is.
What is the scarcity mindset
It is actually the way you perceive the world around you, day to day. A scarcity mindset is a belief that there will never be enough, resulting in feelings of fear, stress, and anxiety. On the other hand, an abundance mindset flows out of a deep inner sense of personal worth and security. It’s grounded in the belief that there is more than enough for everyone.
I realized I live deep in scarcity mindset, and maybe I had difficulties finding a job, a steady job for years because of that. I thought about my life and things started to pop out: I believed there are no jobs for the profile like me (as there were difficulties because of the crisis in 2008), I was battling with thoughts like I don’t have time to cook, I don’t have enough time to go to the grocery store in peace, I was always running (because of the baby at home), I don’t have enough money, I am not good enough this or that, I don’t have the energy (already in the morning), why I don’t have enough space in my apartment to have a space to work in peace, I don’t have a house, …. You got the picture.
What surprised me, this mindset was prevailing me, and it was not only about material things. Not at all.
Underlining the feeling of all of this is actually fear. Fear of not having enough, fear that you won’t be provided for. And this is connected to the root chakra as well.
How to overcome the scarcity mindset
It is important to understand how our brains work. We thing approx. 60,000 thoughts a day, and as Joe Dispenza would say: we wake up in the morning and we continue to think the same thoughts as the day before. So therefore we are recreating the same reality for us all over again. And as Brooke Castilo forms in a formula that goes like this: THOUGHTS – FEELINGS – ACTIONS – RESULTS. The CIRCUMSTANCES are neutral.
So when I think I don’t have enough energy for dealing with children, stress, etc. I create a feeling. I am all crumbled, annoyed, I am dragging myself … This affects my actions, I don’t do as much as I would want, or I tend to be sloppy. The result is I am not content with myself and I start judging myself. And I drain myself, even more, I have even less energy.
The steps to take
- Be aware – the power of mindfulness
What you can do is to start with mindfulness practice, try to be aware of your thoughts and your feelings in the given moment. Start watching your mind, be a mind watcher, observe your thoughts and feelings, and when you do that, try to separate from them. At that moment when you notice you have a negative thought or a thought of scarcity – this is the moment to shift.
- Choose your thoughts intentionally
Deliberately choose a different thought and practice them. Your thoughts of scarcity are set on default, without practice you won’t be able to shift. Write new thoughts you want to think on paper, you can write dem down as affirmations or some positive statements. and whenever you catch yourself with a scarcity thought, intentionally reframe it into a thought of abundance.
- Shift from scarcity to abundance
When you think in scarcity mode you feel that life is just happening to you. This was the way I have always felt in my life, from childhood on I was dealing with this feeling. When you think in abundance mode you feel your life is happening for you, not to you. You look at what is here for me. But once you are aware of your thoughts and feelings, you can start to shift every time, until it comes naturally to you. Look at it as training, you are training yourself to think differently.
Even if it does not feel like it sometimes, it is certain that you have some good things going on in your life. Look at them, even if they are just basics, you can be grateful for your place to live, food, clothes, relationships, time that you have for yourself, etc. Write them down, and do this every day to remind yourself about it. I count my blessings every night before I fall asleep, which is a good practice to start forming a habit of practicing gratitude. It is choosing to see and focus on what you have, meaning to focus on abundance.
- Practice the belief
Consider this: belief is a thought you repeat it enough times, so you believe it. So it is just a thought, a sentence! The thing is we are not aware of our beliefs for the most part, because they are conditioned by our family or the environment. So this means, you can form new beliefs, beliefs that will support you. Just choose one. For example, there is enough of everything for everyone on this planet!
I am still practicing this, it takes some time, just be patient!
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