Do any of these sound familiar to you? …
“There is never enough time”, “I never have enough money”, “Money goes out faster than it comes in”, “All the good ones are taken”.
These words come from a scarcity mindset.
A scarcity mindset makes you believe that there will never be enough. It keeps you holding on to things that you don’t need. It makes you jealous of others. It makes you afraid.
You worry about your bank account, so you wait until the last minute to pay your bills. You worry about how much you spent at dinner and you under-tip the server. You envy your colleagues because they make more money than you. You don’t share ideas because you believe someone will ‘steal’ them from you.
Hoarding. Overbuying when something goes on sale. These are actions based in fear.
You may think that buying 10 cases of water when they go on sale will fill your home with abundance. Bear with me as we unpack that thought. It can actually be related to fear. Overbuying items on sale often originates in scarcity mindsets-hoarding the items because there will not be any left for you. Another related thought is the belief that when the item is at full price, you will not be able to afford it. Again, this is scarcity thinking. The thoughts are buried under layers of defense and rationalization mechanisms. After all, we are just being ‘smart’ consumers, right? However, over buying actually feeds the same consumerism that is filling our planet with plastic waste.
Scarcity is a learned concept. It forms part of the survival instinct. At one point in our ancestry, humans had to compete for the necessities of life- food, water, shelter. Even in our recent family history our parents and grandparents may have struggled to feed their families and make ends meet. The fear that there will not be enough money or food may trigger an acute stress response because our brain perceives that our survival may be compromised.
Consider this: The universe is infinite. In fact, it is actually expanding. It is getting bigger and it has no end. There is so much wealth on the planet that nobody is really able to tally it and yet poverty exists. There is so much food in the world that 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted each year. Just one quarter of the wasted food could feed 795 million undernourished people (foodtank) and yet people are starving. What is really lacking on earth is love, compassion and generosity.
This blog is called Abundance. Why am I writing about Scarcity? Well, because the first step to achieving abundance in all things is to change the scarcity mindset that is blocking it. The way to change the mindset is by examining the thoughts and beliefs that are keeping you stuck.
I would like you to examine your beliefs and introduce the idea that you are able to change the thoughts that are keeping you stuck. Below are two exercises that will help you get started. The results will be remarkable. They are based on Louise L. Hay, You Can Heal Your Life
Abundance Exercise #1
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, your arms outstretched, your face to the sky and say, “I am open to receiving all good”. How does that feel? Do you feel any resistance in your body? Your mind? Your heart? Do this exercise several times per day for at least a month. Begin and end your yoga practice with it.
Abundance Exercise #2: Exploring our Beliefs
Every thought we think and every word we speak creates our reality. Often, our beliefs are not really our own, we heard them from someone else. As children, we were ‘taught’ by parents, older siblings, teachers, relatives how to view the world and we believed them. Now we are adults, capable of deciding for ourselves. Is it time to let some of those beliefs go?
Please complete the questions with whatever words or sayings come to mind. Take your time, try to think back and imagine all the adults in your life and those who interacted with you. Begin with your parents and write down everything they said about the topics below. Once you have your list-look at it objectively, without blame and say-“So that’s where that belief comes from”. Notice what you feel in your body. Make the connection between the themes you were taught and your life events, beliefs, circumstances.
What did they say about money? About love? About your body? Limiting or negative messages?
You have a choice now, you can choose to hold on to the belief, or you can choose to let it go. You can begin by simply deciding that you are willing to change. You can decide that it makes no sense to you in your life at this time. You can decide that you need new, loving and positive beliefs.
Written by: Pina Marino, Self-Care Educator
Stay tuned to our blog and emails as Pina dives deeper into abundance concepts and how to continue the change.
Feel free to email Pina if you need help or guidance with the above topic or if you have any questions: feathersnmoonbeams@gmail.com
