15 Ways To Shift From A Scarcity Mindset To An Abundance Mindset

How A Scarcity Mindset May Affect You

A scarcity mindset is often accompanied by negative self-talk. For example, you might tell yourself that you’re not good enough or that you’ll never be able to achieve your goals. This type of thinking can lead to feelings of anxiety, depression, and low self-worth.

A scarcity mindset can also cause you to focus on what you don’t have, rather than what you do have. This can make you feel like you’re lacking in comparison to others. As a result, you may miss out on opportunities because you don’t believe that you’re capable of achieving them.

5 Ways Scarcity Harms You

1. A scarcity mindset can lead to anxiety and depression.
2. A scarcity mindset can make you feel like you’re lacking in comparison to others.
3. A scarcity mindset can prevent you from taking advantage of opportunities.
4. A scarcity mindset can cause you to miss out on important experiences.
5. A scarcity mindset can limit your potential for success.

What Is A Scarcity Mindset?

A scarcity mindset is a perspective that results from you believing that opportunities, resources, and successes are uncommon and limited. A scarcity mentality refers to a way of thinking that causes you to become obsessed with your lack of resources and opportunities. This feeling makes it more difficult to reach higher levels of performance and may keep you trapped in a cycle of self-fulfilling prophecy. People with a scarcity mindset often miss beneficial opportunities and experiences because they are only focused on limitations and negativity. This scarcity mentality can lead to feelings of anxiety, depression, and low self-worth.

Where Does A Scarcity Mindset Come From?

A scarcity mindset is often the result of early childhood experiences or messages we received growing up. A scarcity mindset may have resulted because you were told that you’re not capable of achieving success in life. It can also be the result of traumas or difficult life experiences. If you grew up in a household where money was tight, you may have developed a scarcity mindset around money. If you’ve been through a divorce, you may have a scarcity mindset around love.

9 Signs You May Have A Scarcity Mindset

It’s crucial to remember that a scarcity mentality has some of the same symptoms as depression or other mental disorders—and scarcity can also cause mental health issues. If you are struggling with symptoms of depression, it is best to seek professional advice.

Here are some of the warning signals that you may be practicing a scarcity mindset:

1. You compare yourself to others often.
2. You feel like there’s not enough time in the day.
3. You’re always worried about money.
4. You feel like you’re not good enough.
5. You miss out on opportunities because you don’t believe you can achieve success.
6. You always seem to feel behind in your work.
7. Bills and other responsibilities are piling up.
8. You’re consistently overscheduling yourself.
9. You say yes to opportunities that aren’t right for you because you’re afraid another opportunity won’t come along.

What Is An Abundant Mindset?

An abundance mindset refers to the belief that there is more than enough of everything to go around. This includes money, love, opportunities, and happiness. People with an abundant mindset believe that there is an unlimited supply of everything and that everyone can have as much as they want. They don’t see the world as a zero-sum game where someone has to lose for someone else to win. They focus on the abundance that already exists in their lives and works to share that abundance with others.

Benefits Of An Abundant Mindset

An abundance mentality is important because it allows you to see the world and your place in it differently. It opens up possibilities that might otherwise seem out of reach and it allows you to focus on what you can do instead of what you can’t.

People with an abundant mindset find contentment and joy in the simple things in life. They are more resilient in the face of setbacks because they know there is always another opportunity out there for them. They are also more likely to take risks and seize opportunities because they believe there will be ample chances for success.

15 Ways To Shift From A Scarcity Mentality To An Abundance Mentality

The good news is you can shift to an abundance mentality and improve your life outcomes. It is important to start by acknowledging that you have a scarcity mentality. Be aware of your thoughts and the words you use to describe yourself and your situation. Once you’re aware of your negative self-talk and scarcity mindset, you can start to challenge it. For example, instead of telling yourself that you’re not good enough, try saying something like, “I’m doing my best.”

You are not stuck with a scarcity mentality, and you can shift your thinking towards an abundance mentality. Here are some ways to make the shift:

Stop Comparing Yourself To Others And Focus On Your Progress

When you compare yourself to others, you’re only looking at what they have that you don’t. This comparison creates feelings of envy, jealousy, and inadequacy. Instead of comparing yourself to others, focus on your progress. Acknowledge how far you’ve come and celebrate your accomplishments—no matter how small they may seem.

Record Your Daily Successes

A success journal is a great way to focus on the positive things in your life. Take a few minutes each day to write down your successes. This could be anything from the fact that you have overcome academic challenges and scored an A on an exam to something as big as meeting a new friend. See the Evviva Success Journal video for a detailed description of how to maintain a daily Success Journal.

Acknowledge Your Thoughts And Feelings

Your thoughts and feelings are valid, and you should acknowledge your thoughts and feelings without judgment. Once you’ve validated them, start to question them and learn from them. Ask yourself questions like, why do you feel this way? is there evidence that supports your feelings? Remember to practice self-compassion.

Challenge Your Negative Beliefs

Identify your negative beliefs and start to challenge them. For example, due to less positive self-perceptions of yourself, if you believe that you’re not good enough, ask yourself why you believe that. Is there evidence that supports this belief? Once you start to question your negative beliefs, you can start to replace them with more positive ones. This is what an abundance mentality means!

Focus On Your Unique Strengths And Capabilities

Everyone has unique strengths and capabilities. Start to focus on your strengths and what you have to offer the world. When you focus on your strengths, you’ll start to see more opportunities for success.

Measure Your Progress And Don’t Focus On Perfection

Measure the progress you are making toward your abundant life. Celebrate successes and practice a positive mindset toward your accomplishments. Remember that making small daily progress is important to reaching your long-term goals. When you focus on perfection, you tend to see the scarcity between the perfect outcome and your progress.

To stay out of this negative thinking, focus on the achievements you have made. Abundant thinking involves not getting stuck in a fixed mindset. Instead, make a growth mindset an integral part of your journey.

Focus On What You Already Have

If you’ve been thinking about a job change but haven’t taken the leap, you’re probably having thoughts like, “There aren’t enough good jobs out there,” “I don’t have enough transferrable skills,” or “Who am I kidding, there’s too much competition.” These are all ideas based on scarcity. A scarcity mentality sees limitations instead of opportunities and has a self-pity focus. Instead, turn those around to thoughts of positive beliefs like, “Wow, I have two years of job experience, which will be a huge asset if I decide to seek a better job” or “over the last three years, I’ve made great contacts which will be essential when I start networking for my next job.” More positive beliefs about your personal growth will ensure professional success in the corporate world and also in your personal life.

Surround Yourself With People That Have An Abundance Mindset

Do you know those people who always seem positive and see the glass as half-full? Find them and start spending time with them. Attitudes rub off, and if scarcity-minded individuals surround you, you will need to counteract that to make a shift to abundant thinking. As Tony Robbins, the famous writer and speaker says, “The quality of a person’s life is most often a direct reflection of the expectations of their peer group.” Ask yourself if you look up to the people with whom you spend time. If you’re not asking yourself about this critical component, you may need to search for other people living the life you aspire to.

Create Win-Win Situations

A scarcity mindset believes that if one person wins, another loses. Try to create win-win conditions in your life to combat this manner of thinking. Look for ways for both parties to leave with a sense of accomplishment and a better feeling about the relationship. Consider practicing this in both your personal and professional life. This often means listening without judgment or censorship, fully understanding what a win-win means for both of you, and brainstorming solutions until you find one that satisfies both parties.

Incorporate Gratitude Into Your Daily Life

According to Oprah Winfrey, “If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.” It’s very difficult to feel fear or sadness while feeling grateful at the same time. Practicing gratitude is one of the most widely recognized methods for improving one’s overall well-being. Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, researched gratitude and found that expressing gratitude improves mental and physical well-being.

Being grateful also impacts the overall experience of happiness, and the effects tend to be long-lasting. One way to practice this is to maintain a gratitude journal, wherein you write down three things you are grateful for each day. Remember to include even the simplest things that you might take for granted. You can even express gratitude for the clean air that you breathe.

Train Your Mind To Recognize Possibilities

An abundance mindset allows you to see more in your life: more options, more choices, and more resources. One Harvard study found that when we focus on one particular thing intently, other possibilities that are right in front of us can go completely unnoticed. The brain can only absorb so much, so if your belief is “I can’t do it” or “it’s impossible” then any other thoughts contradicting that will get thrown out.

Start training your mind to practice diverse thinking and create an expanded awareness. Ask yourself if you had all the time and money in the world and you knew you couldn’t fail, what would you be doing? Questions like that will help to open your mind up to what is possible.

Practice Self-Compassion 

Whatever you have done up to this point in life has gotten you to where you are today—and you should be proud of yourself for your successes. Any habit or mindset you have now that you want to change had its reason or purpose at one time—survival. Give yourself self-compassion for the past and use it as a springboard for future growth.

Define Abundance for Yourself

Abundance and an abundant mindset look different to everyone. What looks like an abundant future to you might look like scarcity to someone else or vice versa. It’s hard to get yourself in the mindset of being abundant if you don’t know what you’re striving towards. How would it feel to be abundant? What would your life look like?

Start Small

Changing all your habits or ways of thinking at once can set you up for unrealistic expectations. In what area do you feel like your scarcity mindset is holding you back the most?

Begin with making small tweaks to your mindset. Are you feeling like your time is scarce these days? You may want to start by implementing a time management system to focus your time on your most important daily actions. To learn more about how you can improve your time management check out the Evviva Abundant Life Workbook.

Practice Mindfulness

Taking some time to be mindful—whether that is through meditation or just paying attention to the current moment can slow our brains down so we can think more clearly. Our brains are constantly processing large amounts of information, and this can be overwhelming at times. Taking time to be mindful can be a great way to slow down and maintain an abundant mindset.

Why It Is Important To Be Patient When Changing Mindsets?

It’s important to be patient when changing your mindset because it takes time to change the way you think. You may have been practicing your current mindset for years and it is embedded into your perspectives and thoughts. You may find that you have to remind yourself to think differently every day.

As you practice an abundant mindset, it will become easier and more natural. Be patient with yourself and don’t be discouraged when you have setbacks. With practice, you can develop an abundance mindset that will serve you well in all areas of your life.

Key Takeaways

An abundant mindset is a way of thinking that allows you to see all the possibilities and opportunities in your life. A scarcity mindset is a fixed, limited way of thinking that keeps you feeling stuck.

An individual who has adopted an abundance mentality understands that an abundance mindset won’t magically solve all of your problems, but it may help you see the problems differently and make it easier to cope or find solutions to them.

You can shift from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset with hard work and patience. Living a life with an abundant mindset will help you reach greater success and happiness.