Are you tired of feeling like there’s not enough? If you feel like life is rigged against you, like your goals are impossible to achieve, you’re not alone.Nobody wants to just “scrape by” in life. Everyone wants fulfillment, success, and abundance. We want to flourish. We want a life brimming over with abundance.
Here’s the good news: you were made for an abundant life.
The difference between scraping by and thriving is largely in your perspective. So what is the difference between a scarcity mindset and an abundance mindset? How do we begin opening ourselves up to the abundance we want out of life?
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SCARCITY VS. ABUNDANCE MINDSET
“Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.”
—Proverbs 4:23
What is a scarcity mindset?
Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “It’s not enough?” I don’t have enough time. There’s not enough money. Achieving success is difficult. There’s not enough room at the top for me to do well. I have nothing to offer. I’m not good enough, compared to them. No one can have it all.
If you’ve found yourself thinking any of these thoughts, don’t worry—you’re not alone. Most people in today’s world have been trained to think in terms of scarcity, a worldview that stems from fear and deep-rooted insecurity.
In the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey defines a “scarcity mindset” as the perspective that there is not enough. Just what there’s not enough of can vary greatly: money, time, attractiveness, communication skills—you name it. Most importantly, a scarcity mindset is afraid because it believes no matter how hard they work, there will never be enough of what they need.
What is an abundance mindset?
If thinking in terms of scarcity is black and white, an abundance mindset is a world full of color. When you look at your life in terms of abundance, you see opportunities instead of challenges. You realize how much you have to be grateful for.
In John 10:10, Jesus states his “mission statement” this way: “I came so that [you] might have life, and have it more abundantly.” Did you catch that? God wants abundance for you.
How, then, do we begin shifting towards a mindset where we’re ready to receive this abundance in our lives? Let’s dive into seven practical ways you can begin feeling more fulfilled.
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7 WAYS TO CULTIVATE AN ABUNDANCE MINDSET
1. Notice how much you already have in life.
Ambition—wanting more out of life than what you currently have—is a good thing. However, as you move forward, look around in your life and recognize how many blessings are already in your life.
Did you wake up this morning feeling healthy? Do you have a place to call home? Do you have family and friends that love you?
Make a list of everything you’re grateful for and keep adding to it. Don’t underestimate how powerful this can be in completely shifting your mindset! Gratitude is the beginning of contentment.
2. Cultivate confidence and self-esteem.
You can’t expect others to love you if you don’t love yourself first. To be truly confident, you have to be self-assured.
Start by appreciating the body that God designed your soul to dwell in. If you have trouble feeling cheerful about yourself, do this: any time you pass a mirror, smile at yourself. The act of smiling tricks your brain into thinking you’re happy.
On a more interior level, make your mind a nice place to live! Look for poetry and personification in the littlest of things. Talk to yourself kindly. You’re doing the best you can—that’s all that counts.
Reassure yourself that you’re doing amazing, because you are!
3. Encourage others.
Other people’s successes do not invalidate your own. Adopting this mindset will make you so much more self-assured.
As you bring other people up with encouragement, compliments, and cheerfulness, you lighten your life as well as their own. Take interest in other people’s lives; it makes them feel valued and special. You’ll make better friendships and feel better about yourself as well.
4. Follow what you love.
If you’re wondering what to do with your life, start by noticing what makes you excited.
God made you with passions, things that set your soul on fire and make you feel giddy inside—those are signposts towards your destiny. Love wholeheartedly what makes you happy: movies, books, music. Enthusiastic people are infectious.
God writes that he “delights in every detail of our lives” (Psalm 37:23). Do the same for yourself! Make your life a lovely place to be.
5. Believe you already have it.
Here’s the secret to achieving your goals: visualize how it would feel to achieve your goal. In as much detail as possible, imagine what it would be like to live your dream life. Believe you already have it, and you’ll look for ways to make it a reality.
Some people call it “The Law of Attraction,” but I like to think of it as collaboration with God. I believe that if you have a genuine desire, God planted that desire in you for a reason.
Moving forward, think of the things you love as a road map, leading you where you’re meant to go.
6. Know that what is meant for you will come.
The opportunity you’re waiting for will come when the time is right. You’ll find the right job, the right friends, the right college. What is meant for you will come. Right now, make sure you’re ready to receive it when it comes.
7. Make a plan.
Once you decide on an end goal and believe it’s coming for you…make a plan! Figure out how to get where you want to be in life. Expect opportunities to pop up. If you set a savings goal for the summer, start looking for chances to pick up extra shifts or part-time jobs. The opportunities you need are coming. Keep an eye out for windfalls, unexpected phone calls, and synchronicity.
“…when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it.”
—Paulo Cole
Photo by Sasha Freemind on Unsplash
Remember: your thoughts shape your life. If you’re wired to look for scarcity, that’s what you’ll see. However, when you look for the good and the beautiful, you’ll find it in abundance.
<3 Olivia Grace
