Written by: Allison Castle, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Along my journey of coaching and entrepreneurship I have been introduced to a deeper perspective of scarcity and abundance.
I used to look at scarcity and abundance as their literal definitions.
The definition of scarcity is the quality or state of being scarce, especially want of provisions for the support of life.
The definition of abundance is an ample quantity, wealth, affluence and relative degree of plentifulness.
I had always looked at scarcity as poor. If someone didn’t own a home or a lot of material things, I assumed they had scarcity in their lives. I thought scarcity was financial insecurity and a struggle for survival. I saw these struggles as the opposite of success and happiness.
Abundance meant wealth. I thought someone had abundance in their lives if they had a lot of material things. Material things indicated financial freedom. Financial freedom indicates success and happiness. The more things someone had and was able to continue to acquire the more abundance I assumed they must have.
For my own life I didn’t want to struggle and be insecurity. I wanted happiness and success. So, for me to achieve abundance, I would strive for more.
I discovered working for more really wasn’t very motivating for me. Why did I want more? I was actually very content and grateful for what I had but I was afraid that contentment meant stagnation. In a world that seems so focused on exponential growth, I was really happy with sustainability. But it didn’t seem ok to stop continually reaching for more.
As I became more familiar with the coaching industry, I noticed that coaches talk about scarcity and abundance regularly but in a different way. They talked about abundance and scarcity in terms of mindset. It was not just about whether someone was literally rich or poor it was about fear or belief.
A scarcity mindset is a fear of lack. A belief that there are limited opportunities and resources. That there is not enough to go around. It is more of a competitive, isolating, win-lose outlook. Someone who looks very abundant with billions of dollars in the bank and every material item money can buy could have a scarcity mindset. They could still have the fear that there isn’t enough for everyone and that there is a threat that they may lose opportunities and resources to someone else. Based on this new perspective, I believe a root cause of greed is a scarcity mindset.
An abundance mindset is a belief that there are plenty of opportunities and resources for everyone. It is more of a collective-based win-win outlook. Someone with community, belonging and a knowing that there is enough for everyone can have an abundance mindset even if they do not have the financial wealth and affluence that I previously thought defined abundance. Based on this new perspective I believe true abundance lies in the abundance mindset.
True abundance cannot be about more because more can never be satisfied. If we are always chasing after more, we will never feel happy or successful in the present moment with what we have. We will never feel like we have enough. True abundance is Enough.
“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.” ‒ Wayne Dyer
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Allison Castle, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Allison Castle is a Mastery Certified Transformational Coach, Meditation Teacher, and Certified Public Accountant. After years of following the "expected path," chasing the traditional standards of success, and coming up short on feeling successful or fulfilled, Allison created her Life Alignment Coaching Program to help women stop waiting until they reach that milestone (number on a scale, job title, income level, etc.) to finally find the feeling of fulfillment and success that they have been working so hard for. Her mission: Don't wait for the destination. Enjoy the Journey!
