There IS Enough to Go Around.

Does it seem to you that many people, maybe even yourself included, were brought up thinking “There is simply NOT enough to go around.”?  I am so damn tired of that type of thinking that I don’t know what to do.  Wait, I do know what to do.  In fact, I am doing it right now.

Scarcity thinking was never what was intended for us, and I have read just about every book (I feel like) in the last year trying to wrap my head around breaking through this type of thinking.  One author who explains the concepts of scarcity and abundance is Stephen Covey.  He explains the concepts in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Covey explains the scarcity mentality as life having only so much…like one pie.  If someone were to get a big piece of the pie, it would mean less for everybody else.

I have my own theories as to why this is, and why it got passed down to me, so bear with me for a moment.  I looked at Irish ancestry and I read about the very difficult time during the famine.  I know this is a crazy leap for some of you, but I was passed the gene that is believed to have mutated during the famine in Ireland (hereditary hemochromatosis).  The gene held on to iron because people were starving.  Again, if you have been with me for a while, this goes with my earliest research into my diseases.  But after a while, people didn’t need to hold on to that iron any longer, but the gene was already ready to keep on holding on.  << It really wanted us to be okay.

Next we get to the great depression.  Now, while there wasn’t a gene per say, there was an idea that we didn’t have enough.  If you look at your great-great-grandparents photos, not a smile to be seen anywhere.  Actually, my great-great grandparents look ready for a good brawl.  My great-great grandmother is a huge scowling woman and her man worked in the coal mines.  Some serious work.  She really looks ready to take you out…and that’s probably on a good day.

So I have my why…you have to explore your why.  I bet it was passed down through the ages as well.  BUT NOW, let’s get to the good stuff.

The Abundance mentality.  This type of thinking flows out of a deep inner sense of personal worth or security.  It is the paradigm that there is plenty out there and enough to spare for all. It results in the sharing of prestige, recognition, profits and decision-making. It opens possibilities, options, alternatives and creativity.

Covey tells us that when you live in a world of scarcity, you compete for available resources, even when there is an abundance of them.

I teach my tribe that as an effective leader, << we need to develop an abundance mindset.  Moreover, this type of thinking will help you get ahead in work.  I start off with what I am grateful for…and I move on from there.

If you are NOT quite ready to move from scarcity mindset into abundance yet, start with the following resources here:

• Using Gratitude to Move Forward in Life
• Are you a Lift or Drag Force?
• Lastly, what we are covering all month-long in my motivational journaling Club, Manifest Journaling

One of the greatest assets you can create is cultivating people who lift you up.  People who decide they can do something, and don’t just talk negative, give up and complain.  They can help, and see the good in the world.  They are supportive of your vision and they know that helping you isn’t going to take away from them.  No.  Helping others is key to getting a piece of the many pies that are out there in the universe.  There really is enough to go around, so go ahead, and start looking at what you want with clarity, action and be thankful for what you already have.  Things will start looking up for you as soon as you believe it.

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