Much of our world today is run with a scarcity mentality, which dictates that everything is a competition, and because there are winners, there must also be losers. In contrast, an abundance mentality is one that sees the world as full of resources, wealth, and opportunities: enough for everyone to share in and be happy with.
What are the main benefits of an abundance mentality?
Freedom from the stress of constantly trying to “win” in daily life. The realization of your full potential, and a better understanding of how to achieve your goals. A fairer, more egalitarian world in which we all share wealth, knowledge, and friendship. Improvement in your performance at work and in your social life. An ability to see the positives in every situation, instead of being weighed down by the negatives. Better mental health overall, including a greater feeling of fulfillment and a reduction in anxiety. Stronger relationships through an increase in mutual gratitude and compassion.
Tip #1: Focus on what you have
The scarcity mindset makes it easy to think we can never have enough. It is this fear that advertising and marketing agencies tap into to persuade us to buy new things. But buying new things will never make the fear go away. An abundance mindset teaches us that wealth exists in the things we already have. Instead of perceiving the wealth of other people in contrast to your own, try to be mindful of what you are already fortunate enough to have. Do you have a roof over your head? Food in the refrigerator? A little cash in your pocket? Do you have friends and family? A partner? A pet? A favorite book on your bookshelf? Focus on what you have, and you will soon see how wealthy you are.
Tip #2: Recognise your limiting beliefs
Abundant thinking is the practice of actively thinking in a way that promotes an abundance mindset. And yet, having been raised in a world that teaches us to look for competition, threats, and negatives, we tend to hold many beliefs which limit our ability to have a positive attitude. If you find yourself thinking “There’s only one way I will win here”, or “My success is not enough when compared to these other people’s success”, realize that these thoughts are limiting you. For example, there are always alternate routes to the end goal. Might your definition of “winning” be limiting in itself? Similarly, if you compare your success to that of others, how will you ever be satisfied with your accomplishments? Recognizing your limiting beliefs is an important step to letting them go and moving toward an abundance mindset.
Tip #3: Understand the power of your thoughts
Much of how we see the world is directly controlled by our own thoughts. If we look for scarcity, we will find it. If we think that there is never enough to go around, there never will be. Abundant thinkers take these negative thoughts and turn them into positive thoughts. Abundant thinkers know that the first major step toward achieving an abundant mentality is first to understand the power of their thoughts. Once you realize that your thoughts directly influence not only your attitude but the world around you, it becomes infinitely easier to dispense with fear and embrace life.
Tip #4: Develop a growth mindset
An abundance mindset goes hand-in-hand with the concept of a growth mindset. A growth mindset is one in which you believe that dedication and hard work will always help you to grow and expand your knowledge and abilities. In other words, no matter your starting point, you can improve yourself and your various skills by committing yourself to constantly learning and growing. Only by combining a growth mindset with an abundance mindset can you recognize the abundance of opportunities and resources all around you and utilize them to continually improve yourself.
Tip #5: Speak daily abundance affirmations
Affirmations have been used by successful and highly effective people throughout history. Affirmations are a mindfulness practice and can be spoken by anyone at any time. An affirmation is simply a fixed saying that you repeat to yourself on a regular basis, and spend some time thinking about. You could use standard positive affirmations, such as these:
“I am wealthy and grateful for what I have. I can enrich myself and others by sharing my wealth with them.” “I choose to be positive about the challenges I face in life.” “There are always new opportunities to express me, to learn, and to grow. “The success of other people is also my success.”
Alternatively, you can make up your own affirmations. Write down some of your biggest fears, goals, and aspirations. Turn your fears into affirmations of confidence and happiness. Write affirmations reminding yourself that you have all the resources at your disposal to realize your dreams.
Tip #6: Practice gratitude
Our world promotes the instant gratification of content consumption and fast food, but ironically these things tend to leave us feeling unsatisfied and wanting more. Genuine gratitude, on the other hand, is one of the easiest ways to see the abundance of wealth and happiness in everyday life. Try keeping a gratitude journal in which you write down a list of things you are genuinely grateful for every day. Your lists may include simple things such as a conversation with an old friend, sunshine, warm clothes, or more personal achievements such as overcoming an anxious episode. When you start to express gratitude regularly, you’ll realize just how much you have to be grateful for.
Tip #7: Pursue passions
The abundance mindset is not just about seeing the abundance around you, but also the abundance within yourself. It’s about recognizing your value and championing it. By pursuing and cultivating your passions – whatever they may be – you foster a sense of self-worth which allows you to be more content in life. Your passions also bring worth to the lives of other people. The abundance of thinkers knows that the sharing of passions and creativity can only ever benefit us as a collective society. Show yourself that you have what it takes to pursue your passions, and others will be quick to follow suit.
Tip #8: Rephrase your narrative
If you’ve started to recognize the power of your thoughts, you’ll know how important the stories you tell yourself about your life and the world are important. But, so too are the words you use to tell yourself those stories. When you reflect on your day in bed at night, or when you recount to a friend your experiences at work, try to get out of the thought pattern which focuses on the negatives. Try to reframe situations in a positive light, rephrasing your narrative so that, in time, your memories are of a more abundant life.
Tip #9: Create memorable and meaningful life experiences
In addition to rephrasing the narrative of your life, and evaluating the value which already surrounds you, it’s important to also actively add to that value. It’s very easy in life to find ourselves drifting from day to day without stepping outside our comfort zones. But without new experiences to ground ourselves in, it can be harder to maintain a positive attitude and abundance mindset. The human brain tends to create more lasting memories when we engage with things in different ways, or with things, we have not engaged with before. Try to create memorable and meaningful life experiences by being present, mindful, and engaged with your surroundings. Look for things you might have missed in familiar places, walk different ways to work, and reconnect with an old friend. When we create memorable and meaningful life experiences, we appreciate the value of simple living.
Tip #10: See the world as full of opportunities
The world is full of opportunity. And yet, we are constantly told that we may only ever get one shot in life to make it. This is not true. It is a by-product of a scarcity mentality which states there is not enough opportunity to go around. Instead of worrying about missing out on every opportunity, try seeing the world as full of opportunities. Doing so takes the stress away from failure since there will always be another chance to try again.
Tip #11: Know your strengths and weaknesses
Self-awareness is key to the abundance mindset. But knowing your strengths and weaknesses is not about working out which areas of yourself you can improve. Instead of dwelling on your weaknesses or obsessive over improving them, instead, look to expand your unique strengths. Rephrase the narratives surrounding your weaknesses. If you feel you do not express yourself enough, instead focus on what makes you a unique person whose thoughts are worth expressing.
Tip #12: Surround yourself with people who have an abundance mentality
One of the most important things you can do when looking to create an abundance mindset is to surround yourself with an environment of abundance. Instead of getting caught up in the competitive winner/loser dynamic of people who hold a scarcity mindset, surround yourself with colleagues who will champion you and share their expertise with you. Create meaningful and memorable experiences with others who share your positive outlook on life and who are always eager to turn a negative into a positive outcome. With a community of like-minded abundance thinkers (instead of those with a scarcity mentality) around you, you can continue to grow and revel in all the good that already exists around you.
Tip #13: Visualize your potential
With all of these other tools under your belt, it’s time that you started visualizing your potential. Knowing that you have the resources, the opportunities, and the support of your peers, realize that you can achieve anything you put your mind to. A growth mindset dictates that with dedication and hard work, you can engage in mastery experiences: experiences through which you master your skills and talents. Think about what your potential looks like, and where it can go. Keep this vision in mind at all times, being always mindful that no matter how substantial the goal, it is within your power to achieve it.
Tip #14: Give to others
At its very core, the abundance mindset teaches us that there are enough resources, wealth, and knowledge to share amongst everyone so that everyone can prosper. The scarcity mentality tells us that we must covet and save our resources, wealth, and knowledge because there is only a finite amount of each. If you have money, give it to others. If you have the knowledge, share it with your peers. If you have resources, spread them amongst your community. It’s impossible to see the world as a place of scarcity when you and other abundant thinkers are constantly sharing what you have with those around you.
Tip #15: Build win-win situations for all
The scarcity mindset says that in order for someone to win in any given situation, someone else has to lose. But this idea comes only from fear: the fear that another’s success equals our failure – the fear that there is not enough to go around. Instead of seeking win-lose situations, in which you must come out on top, seek to build win-win situations for all. Cooperate with your colleagues and competitors. In fact, rephrase the narrative of competition altogether!. Converse and collaborate with the people you meet, sharing the abundance of positivity in your life by working together to find a compromise which you all can be happy with. By building win-win situations for all, we will ultimately build a better, more compassionate society.
Conclusion
The power thought words and affirmations hold is wildly underrated. By visualizing our potential, thinking abundantly about the opportunities and wealth around us, and being grateful for what we have, we soon see a marked improvement in our mental health. A scarcity mentality is the path of fear and ignorance. The abundance mindset is the path of expansive thinking, limitless potential, and a compassionate community. About
