“True abundance isn’t based on our net worth, it’s based on our self-worth.”
― Gabrielle Bernstein
Adopt the Abundance Mindset
The definition of the abundance mindset is knowing there are enough resources to go around for everyone. As pleasant as it sounds, it’s difficult to believe there’s an abundant amount of things (opportunities, money, food, etc) in the world for all.
Hence, it’s easy to adopt the opposite, the scarcity mindset – to think there’s only a finite amount of resources.
When you have a scarcity mindset, you have difficulty sharing recognition and credit or profit and power with those who contributed to the production.
Feeling genuinely happy for others’ success is another common challenge when you have a scarcity mindset. Because your mindset plays a major role in how you view the world, let’s dive deeper into each one.
The Scarcity Mindset
Thinking there’s a limited amount of resources in the world, you tend to be cynical and selfish. As a result, you can have the following beliefs and behaviors:
- Having difficulty showing appreciation, recognition, and praise for others.
- Unable to think about win-win situations.
- Focusing on your own personal gains at the expense of others.
- Struggle to be happy for others’ success and achievements.
As you can see, these beliefs are egocentric and not attractive to others.
The scarcity mindset anchors on the principle of zero-sum ⎯ meaning for you to win, the other person must lose. You think there’s a limited amount of pie to go around so you do your best to get the biggest piece.
But the truth is there’s plenty to go around for everyone. The other person doesn’t have to lose for you to win.
The Abundance Mindset
In Stephen Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change, he discusses one of the habits of being cooperative by going for win-win situations.
- View victory and success as mutual benefits for all parties involved.
- See there are endless opportunities in the world.
- Always seek to do things in a way that benefits everyone involved.
- Show appreciation and gratitude for others.
Having an abundance mindset results in you being more likable because you have others’ best interests at heart. The win-win situations allow you to gain what you want by helping others get what they want.
Applying these beliefs in your life will dramatically increase your level of success, however you define it.
Let’s see how this affects the different areas of your life.
Benefits in Business and Professional Work
More opportunities and wealth are your benefits when you apply the principles of the abundance mindset in the world of business and professional work.
The quality of your relationships matters most in business and professional work.
For business, it’s your relationships with your existing and potential customers. As for professional work, it’s your relationships with your existing, former, and future coworkers. In the case of business, you’re selling a product or service that targets your customers’ specific needs and wants.
When you help your buyers solve their problems with your service or product, you’re forming a trusting and healthy relationship with them.
Applying the abundance mindset, you only sell them the product or service if that’s truly what will help them overcome their immediate problem. You won’t force the sale just to make money even though you know your product or service won’t help.
Knowing there are plenty of people out there who will be a great fit for your product or service, you have no problem letting go of people who aren’t.
In the case of professional work, you understand your value as a worker. You help the company grow and generate revenue while helping your colleagues.
Not viewing others’ success as intimidating, you’re willing to become a team player. Wanting everyone to benefit in the process, you genuinely are willing to help your coworkers.
By creating true value in the company, you become indispensable and are treasured by your company.
Having an abundance mindset allows you to understand there are many job opportunities in the world. Therefore, even if you’re let go from your company, you will soon find another job given your unique skill set and the healthy relationships you have developed in your previous company.
Job competency is important, but what’s more important is how your former and future co-workers feel about working with you.
If your former coworkers didn’t enjoy working with you, they won’t recommend you for future jobs. Your relationships with your coworkers are more important than you think.
Genuinely help your colleagues by being an effective team player.
Your professional network will be your most important asset when asking for promotions and applying for new jobs.
Benefits Of Personal Relationships
Whether it’s in romantic or platonic relationships, the abundance mindset will tremendously improve the quality of your relationships.
Having an abundance mindset in dating, you view plenty of high-quality women who are right for you. You don’t think that there’s only one woman who’s compatible with you.
This is especially critical after a serious breakup because you will think your ex-partner was the only woman for you.
It’s difficult to believe there are other single women who can make you feel the way your ex-partner did. But the truth is there are plenty of women who you’re more compatible with.
Your relationships with those women will be even better than what you have developed in the past.
In the past, I had to break up with a woman because I knew deep down she and I weren’t compatible together. There were differences in our core beliefs and values which weren’t negotiable for both of us.
Knowing there was no future for us, I ended things with her despite having to be single again. Having the abundance mindset gave me the courage to be alone and have the faith to meet someone new.
On the contrary, the scarcity mindset would have made me cling to her thinking she was the only woman for me. I would have settled with her knowing I want a woman who was more compatible with my beliefs and lifestyle.
It wouldn’t have been fair for both of us.
She deserves my best, but I won’t be able to do that if I believe I deserve someone better.
With self-respect, I ended our relationship early. This allowed her and me to find someone else.
As for platonic relationships, your abundance mindset will attract like-minded people into your life. Being empathic and considerate of others, you value others’ opinions.
But at the same time, you understand and respect your own integrity to invest time in those who believe in you and lift you up.
Knowing there are plenty of people who value and respect you, you start reducing your interactions with those who drain your energy and bring you down. You start to value your time by surrounding yourself with those who genuinely appreciate and value you.
By helping others, you build real and lasting relationships with them. To reciprocate, they will gladly help you when you’re in times of need.
Because both of you treasure your relationship, you both will invest time and effort to further develop and deepen the relationship.
Closing Thoughts
Having an abundance mindset creates many opportunities for you. However, it’s against your human nature to think and act cooperatively.
Your ego wants you to compete with others because of your survival instinct. But both of you can benefit from working together.
Operating as a team, everyone involved benefits from the result.
Adopting the abundance mindset, you won’t act out of desperation knowing there are endless opportunities. You will gladly show appreciation, recognition, and praise for others’ efforts.
Instead of looking at situations with negativity, you view them as opportunities with a positive perspective. When you live life this way, you understand that life doesn’t happen to you, rather it happens for you.
Every event is to help you become stronger and more resilient. As a result, your comfort zone expands.
Problems that used to challenge you no longer pose threats because you can now handle them with ease. Give and help others along the way out of generosity and goodwill.
Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help. Others who truly care about you want to help and see you succeed. Start applying the abundance mindset in your life and see the endless benefits that you will receive.
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