4 Ways To Overcome A Scarcity Mindset
Updated 2024.10.21
You can overcome scarcity with mindset! Read on below -
In the metaphysical media today, there's a lot of discussion on the abundance mindset versus scarcity mindset and how it's essential to have an abundance mindset to receive abundance.
Coming from a background in environmental sciences, I attained degrees nested in the idea that all ecosystems have at least one limiting growth factor.
In this world, scarcity is more than just a mindset. It is a fact. Scarcity is an indisputable reality of living on Earth, where all physical objects have a boundary that starts and ends on some level.
Earth's very nature is that there are containers that hold energy, and these containers have somewhat discreet endings and beginnings. This reality creates limits, and thus, scarcity.
While scarcity may not exist in the spiritual planes, limiting factors are easy to see here on Earth, and we confront them every day. However, all species on Earth, to adapt and thrive, have to find ways to overcome the scarcity of their environment, believe that more is possible, and seek the light source, the nutrient, or the water they need to thrive.
Scarcity can be the motivation to change, grow, and strive for our own personal best. In fact, without the desire to overcome limiting factors, evolution and change would not occur. Without the belief that things could be different, we wouldn't seek new experiences, new areas of growth, or even new models of how, what or where to receive.
Likewise, without situations that cause us discomfort, known as contrasting situations in metaphysics and limiting factor situations in science, change sometimes doesn’t happen. You sometimes need the discomfort of scarcity to initiate growth in a new direction.
For the past eight years of teaching metaphysics over ecology, I’ve wrestled with some statements out there that say that scarcity doesn't exist.
Every day I encountered them, my mind would just completely spin since my ecological background teaches that scarcity is a checkpoint that creates balance in any community.
Each environment has a limiting factor, and without it, you have unbridled growth, which leads to the entire harmony of the cycle of things getting off balance. When this happens, you have too much in one spot and too little in another, leading to certain ecosystems experiencing toxicity.
In unbridled growth situations, ecosystems reach maturity quickly, which can lead to mass deaths, at least in aquatic edge environments, which is the area I studied.
So scarcity is seen as a good in science - the balancing checkpoint that keeps the cycle in harmony. While it is often a temporary situation that propels growth, moving beyond the mindset of ‘this is all there is,’ is vital for growth for any species.
With all this in mind, I do think it's essential to overcome the mindset of scarcity at times. It can impede the growth process, and to focus on what is not can prevent progress forward. To grow, it’s important to recognize the limitation and move beyond it to identify the opportunity.
Focusing on scarcity can cause us to bring our attention to what is not when we may indeed need to be directing our attention to what is or what can be - the place where growth is available.
As we see with all species, what was once scarce, may become abundant if we can access it and reach it. This only happens when we seek it.
What Causes a Scarcity Mindset
Scarcity mindset is a hyper-focus on what isn’t. Usually, prior experience in scarcity reality can cause a scarcity mindset.
Depending on your life experiences, you may have already experienced a reality where food, shelter, or even income was hard to attain or keep, where you had a factor that was more limiting than expected. This is fine, and if so, me too.
Again in ecology, it’s thought all environments have at least one scarcity factor that checks the growth.
Suppose you've been affected by a past in a situation where resources were minimal. In that case, even if you find yourself largely in safety now, you will likely still have memories of these more challenging times. With this acute awareness of how scarcity feels, it is entirely understandable to feel bewildered and confused when someone tells you: relax, let go, let the universe provide for you, and accept that abundance is everywhere.
Sometimes that still makes me giggle but I am getting over it because in ecology, I also used to teach that there is usually at least one resource that’s in surplus and that’s what environmental monitoring people do, they watch that surplus to keep growth in check, but in metaphysics we teach that that’s the flow you tap into.
This attitude is optimistic, and it also can be a great tool to move beyond where you are now, into a place where you feel more relative abundance.
If it also feels too simple, great. Let’s keep going.
Living in reality with scarcity doesn't mean that abundance isn't possible and likewise, accepting that abundance is possible doesn't mean scarcity is false.
You can move into abundance and beyond scarcity while accepting that both exist and recognizing that perhaps, this duality even serves a purpose. The abundance mindset, if anything, is helpful in the evolution process that each soul goes through to find happiness. The only way we get there is by overcoming the scarcity mindset that limitations are all there is.
So with all that said, below, I want to cover a few ways to overcome internal limitations, allowing adaptation to a new environment, and thus, the ability to find abundance in the world.
First, think about one thing that may be in surplus in your environment right now. It doesn’t have to be something big, it could be “I have a surplus of music to listen to” or “I have a surplus of coffee downstairs.”
What is in surplus where you are?
Next, we get into the meat of this post -
4 Ways To Overcome a Scarcity Mindset
1 - Consider The Benefits of Scarcity
See it as an ally. It can help you become a more efficient user of the resources you do have.
There are positive aspects of every situation, including those where physical resources seem thin in some areas. We often become our most creative, adaptable selves in scarcity environments. We learn new strengths, usually. We also may see and identify new resources where we have not, so scarcity situations can lead to growth in new areas.
Think of any wisdom you gained during lean times that you now use, carry with you forever, and helps you in other places.
2 - Ground Your Energy
Take some time to ground your energy field by noticing the abundant resources around you, taking a few deep breaths, and caring for the body by doing one nourishing act, if possible. You know the best way for you to get and feel grounded.
When the body's roots feel nourished, the house the soul lives in - it is often easier to create new mindset approaches to sense greater abundance and identify where that abundance is to tap into.
3 - Open Your Mind To Alternative Income Streams
One of the most significant areas where people feel the scarcity mindset is with cash flow. An essential part of receiving money is not putting a label on where or how the money comes, even who it comes from.
Opening up to receiving alternate forms of income through various ways can be as simple as the affirmation,
"I am open to new forms of income from any source," or "please guide me to new forms of income in any form.”
Then be open to what you notice next and be open to any offers extended to you.
4 - Remember That Abundance Is Relative
In medieval times, having entertainment in the home, everyday spices, and even a single-vehicle would've classified you as a royal. I often remember this fact when taking a hot water shower and I consciously notice how much I appreciate that this exists in my Universe now. Also, what feels scarce to you, may feel like a luxury to someone else.
Likewise, what is considered a great abundance to one person may be a burden to someone else. Keep in mind that abundance is extraordinarily relative and often circumstantial.
Scarcity can stimulate growth, and the first keys to get beyond it and live a more comfortable life eventually, are in the mind and listed above.
The above steps can promote thinking outside the scarcity box and that’s the first step to experiencing an abundance mindset, which is the opposite of scarcity mindset.
To begin moving beyond scarcity mindset, take one step above to shift your mindset beyond scarcity, and into a state where achieving abundance becomes possible, then see what happens. An abundance mindset is helpful because it’s positive, optimistic and most importantly, it helps you identify the opportunities that do exist.
You can move beyond limiting factors. Once you go through the mindset shifts above, you too may change the way you do things, and that's okay. It's called adaptation, and adapting can and does open gateways to abundance in our Universe everywhere you look.
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