Shifting Your Mindset from Scarcity to Abundance

By Action Coach Dave Beam

I really believe that how I view the world, my customers, my employees, and even myself has a profound influence on my results. Would you agree?

I think most people acknowledge that how we think does affect our results at some level. One such paradigm, or way of looking at the world, is abundance vs. scarcity. Here are some definitions:

Abundant – more than what is needed; plenteous; much

Scarce – hard to get; not enough; constricted; little

Do you see the world, your business, your life as abundant, where there is plenty to go around, or scarce, where there is hardly enough? The fact is (considering the audience that would likely read this newsletter), you are surrounded with abundance. If you really think about what you truly need, it is very little. You need air to breath (plenty of that for everyone), basic shelter (you probably have that), clean water and daily food, and beyond those essentials, everything else is abundance! If you choose to think this way, you will see the world as an abundant place where there is plenty to share, to invest, to give, and to celebrate.

If you embrace a paradigm of abundance, you will live in joy and love. You will be more a giver than a taker, and will see giving as a privilege, blessing, and opportunity. In fact, you will view your purpose in life as more a conduit and pipeline to allow abundance to flow through you to others. Abundance tells me that giving is the means of multiplying what I have so I can give even more.

If you hold to a paradigm of scarcity, you will basically live in fear; afraid of poverty and loss. You will be more a taker than a giver, and will tend to be a hoarder and miserly. You will view life as a competition to gather and store as much as you can for yourself, and will always feel a lack and a need for more in an environment where there is not enough. Scarcity warns me that if I give away what I have, I will lack what I need and will suffer.

What does all this mean in a practical sense? In business, if I am abundant, my goal from day to day is to create and bring value to others such as my customers, my employees, my family, and my community. I am always looking for the opportunity to give. Competition is a basically a non-issue, for my desire is even to help my competition succeed! After all, there is plenty to go around, right? I am seeking ways to pay my employees more, not less. If you are abundant, you will be attractive to most people. You will be a joyous, fun, celebrating person that if full of life and gratitude for what you have. Abundant people naturally grow and prosper – it is just a fundamental law of the universe. Scarce people tend to shrivel and wither away. It is not really a question of how much you have, but what you think and feel about what you have.

All of us carry both paradigms to some degree. My challenge for you today is to consider a shift toward abundance and away from scarcity. It begins with gratitude, being thankful for what you have now. Have fun and enjoy your business and life today!!!