6 Steps to an Abundance Mindset
Abundance: (n) the state or condition of having a copious quantity of something; plentifulness
Scarcity Mindset
My favourite Christmas movie by far is The Muppet Christmas Carol – it has everything a good film should have: drama, poignancy, and singing cabbages.
We all know how Scrooge, played by Michael Caine in this version, changes from being miserly and miserable, to being generous, grateful and joyous.
Scrooge has spent his life being consumed by hoarding his wealth, he has a ‘scarcity’ mindset: “he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone”, frightened of loosing all of his wealth that he held under lock and key.
Abundance Mindset
And the beauty of the story is in Scrooge’s transition to having an ‘abundance’ mindset: he donates money to charity, buys the prize turkey for the Cratchits, and suddenly he feels grateful to be alive “I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel”.
It brings a tear to my eye just recalling Michael Caine’s attempt at signing “Thankful heart”.
We grow up with a scarcity mindset
I grew up relatively poor. Wearing and using secondhand items was not an option. I used to (and still do) enjoy rummaging around charity shops, hunting for a bargain, but our way of life came with challenges. My parents always wanted more. And when they didn’t have more, they put a lot of effort into pretending that they did.
My memories of feeling poor are really strong to this day. My parents said things like:
“We don’t have enough money for X”
“We’ll never be able to afford Y”
“Find a rich husband to look after you”.
It’s not surprising that I grew up with a scarcity attitude to money. I call these negative stories and experiences with money, your money memories.
Money Memories
Whether you’ve ever noticed it or not, you have your own money memories. Maybe they are positive and you have a healthy relationship with money. Fab! But if you struggle with making or saving money as an adult, take a moment to write down all the things your parents ever said about money or on the theme of what you could and couldn’t afford, or judgements about other people who did or did not display signs of wealth. It’s likely that their words have become rules you live by. What comes up for you? Let me know in the comments below. I can write much more on this topic if you’d like me to.
It’s not about Money
The irony is that feeling abundance is not about how much money you have or how wealthy you seem to others. It’s actually how much you value everything in your life – joy, laughter, wellness, friendship, love. If you feel as though you are lacking in any of these areas at the moment, you should definitely try my little challenge below.
Abundance is a perspective. When you look at a glass half-full – are you the pessimist or the optimist? When the weather forecast says 56% chance of rain I immediately perceive that as 44% chance of no rain. To feel abundance is to appreciate what is in front of you, not what is missing.
The Abundant Mindset Challenge
At the beginning of 2019 I set myself a challenge to seriously reposition my scarcity mindset to one of abundance. And I can say life really is much more enjoyable because of it.
Here are 6 simple yet powerful things you might like to try:
1/ Quality Time
Spending more quality time with loved ones: Can you give your time instead of buying gifts that friend’s don’t want or need for their birthday or Christmas?
2/ Pay It Forward
Do something to give back: pay it forward with a coffee, declutter and give your unwanted belongings to charity, or create a
Kindness Bag (disclaimer: this is a campaign set up by my dear friend Lucy Goodwill).
3/ Feed Your Soul
Do one thing every week that you absolutely love doing and that feeds your soul: (walking, reading, dancing around your kitchen (just me?), taking a long bath, chatting with friends etc). Allow yourself the time to do this and you’ll feel great about life for a while.
4/ Attitude of Gratitude
Keep a gratitude journal: it’s so simple and effective to write down one thing you’ve been grateful for each day. Then, the next time life doesn’t seem so rosy, flick back at all the things you’ve logged, for that moment’s pleasure-boost.
5/ Declutter items
You know by now that I adore Marie Kondo: adopting her approach to the stuff you own and thanking it for the joy it brings you is a really lovely thing to do – I do catch myself saying it out loud sometimes, which is super-weird I know, but it feels good. (And if you have any items that don’t bring you joy, you could donate them to a charity shop or take it to the dump).
6/ Teeny Tiny Steps
Get out of your headspace into action: you’ve heard me say this before, and you know it works, right? Take action on something, perhaps you could take a small step towards your next goal. When we are accomplishing things we automatically feel better about ourselves (the opposite to when we’re self-sabotaging and full of self-loathing!).
Shifting Your Perspective
As an added bonus task, as you’re doing this challenge, be mindful of the other things you catch yourself doing and saying that promote a scarcity mindset. Keep working on shifting your perspective and do let me know how it’s going for you!
ps. if you’d like a one-day intensive with me, I’m running my “amazing” (that’s what they say)
Stop Self-Sabotaging One-Day Hideaway for women in February 2020, in
London, and in
Manchester.
