Shifting from Scarcity to Abundance: My Journey and Insights
Hey Love, Alecia St. Germain here! Today, I had the pleasure of diving deep into a topic that’s incredibly popular and vital for personal growth and success: scarcity versus abundance. Jonathan Dugger, wellness advocate, doctor of psychology, and my longtime friend helped me explore how these mindsets impact our lives, decisions, and overall well-being.
A Personal Story of Embracing Possibility
I vividly recall when I first decided to start my coaching practice. I was invited to a significant event in California, but I was hesitant because my son was still nursing. The moment I opened myself up to the possibility of bringing my kids along, everything fell into place effortlessly. Flights were affordable, and my husband and I managed the logistics smoothly. This experience taught me a crucial lesson that continues to help me today. The path to achieving our desires becomes clearer when we shift our mindset from “I can’t” to “How can I?”
Understanding Scarcity in Our Culture
Jonathan explained how scarcity is deeply ingrained in our culture, often manifesting in a competitive and fear-based mindset. He pointed out that our corporate culture tends to frame success as a zero-sum game, where someone’s gain is another’s loss. This perspective is self-limiting and fosters anxiety, depression, and overwhelm. It’s essential to recognize these patterns and consciously shift our focus to possibilities rather than limitations.
Moving Towards Abundance
One of the critical points we discussed was the importance of shifting from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset. This involves a simple but profound change in how we frame our situations. Instead of viewing challenges as insurmountable, we can ask, “What is possible?” This small shift can transform our outlook and open up new opportunities.
I was recently preparing for a live workshop that had some logistical challenges. Initially, these challenges felt like obstacles, but reframing them as opportunities for creativity and innovation changed everything. By focusing on what I could achieve despite the hurdles, I could maintain excitement and a positive outlook.
Addressing Toxic Abundance
We also touched on a critical aspect of practicing abundance, especially regarding financial decisions. I sometimes see people adopt a toxic form of abundance by spending excessively under the belief that “more is coming.” This mindset can lead to significant stress when the expected returns don’t materialize. True abundance involves mindful and strategic investments rather than reckless spending.
It’s vital to differentiate between spending as a cover-up for deeper issues and investing with a clear purpose and plan.
Practical Tips for Shifting Mindsets
Jonathan reminds us that context is everything. Excessive spending and other distractions are often used to cover up something else we don’t want to think about or address. Instead, when you are thinking about spending he shared a question you can use to help ensure the decision is coming from a good place: “What’s the gift in this?”
“It’s about putting yourself in a place where you can ask the right questions and do the right things and adjust your thinking and your behavior to create those situations.”
One of the core components of practicing abundance and making that shift is training your mind to think of the possibilities. What are the opportunities? The questions can be about money or behavior; everyday choices that you need to make will all come from a better place if you are thinking about the possibilities.
What Direction am I Heading?
I ask myself and encourage my clients to ask “is making this choice moving me away from what I fear or moving me towards my vision?” This is a real opportunity for you to look at the places in your life where you feel scarcity. Ask yourself “where are the places in my life where I’m choosing a decision out of fear to move me away from something I fear versus when am I unattached to the results?”
Make the Shift
Shifting from a scarcity to an abundance mindset is transformative. It impacts not only how we perceive challenges but also how we live our lives and pursue our goals. Abundance is about seeing opportunities and acting with intention and mindfulness.
Sending you love and be well!
Resources
Episode 6: Why You Self-Sabotage
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